LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
PRINCETON, N.J.
The George J. Finney
Collection of Shaker Literature
Given in Memory of His Uncle
The Rev. John Clark Finney
Class of 1907
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
Princeton Theological Seminary Library
http://www.archive.org/details/historyofamericaOO
HISTORY
OF
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
BY
JOHN HUMPHREY NOYES.
HILLARY HOUSE PUBLISHERS, LTD.
New York
1961
This is an exact reprint
of the scarce 1870 edition
This edition
Limited to 500 Copies
Reprinted 19 61
by
Hillary House Publ. Ltd.
Manufactured in the United States of America
by Sentry Prf:ss, New York 19, N. Y.
PREFACE.
The object of this book is to help the study of
Socialism by the inductive method. It is, first and
chiefly, a collection of facts ; and the attempts at in-
terpretation and generalization which are interspersed,
are secondary and not intentionally dogmatic.
It is certainly high time that Socialists should begin
to take lessons from experience ; and for this purpose,
that they should chasten their confidence in flattering
theories, and turn their attention to actual events.
This country has been from the beginning, and es-
pecially for the last forty years, a laboratory in which
Socialisms of all kinds have been experimenting. It
may safely be assumed that Providence has presided
over the operations, and has taken care to make them
instructive. The disasters of Owenism and Fourierism
have not been in vain ; the successes of the Shakers
and Rappites have not been set before us for noth-
ing. We may hope to learn something from every
experiment.
IV PREFACE.
The author, having had unusual advantages for ob-
serving the Socialistic movements, and especial good
fortune in obtaining collections of observations made
by others, has deemed it his duty to devote a year
to the preparation of this history.
As no other systematic account of American
Socialisms exists, the facts here collected, aside from
any interpretation of them, may be valuable to the
student of history, and entertaining to the general
reader.
The present issue may be considered a proof-sheet,
as carefully corrected as it can be by individual vigil-
ance. It is hoped that it will call out from experts in
Socialism and others, corrections and additions that
will improve it for future editions.
Wallingford, Conn., December, 1869.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER PAGE
I. Introduction i
II. Birds-eye View .... lo
III. Theory of National Experience- . 21
IV. New Harmony . . .30
V. Inquest on New Harmony . . 44
VI. Yellow Springs Community . 59
VII. Nashoba 66
VIII. Seven Epitaphs .... 73
IX. Owen's General Career , .81
X. Connecting Links ... 93
XI. Channing's Brook Farm . . 102
XII. HoPEDALE 119
Xni. The Religious Communities . .133
XIV. The Northampton Association 154
XV. The Skaneateles Community . 161
XVI. Social Architects . . . 181
XVII. Fundamentals of Socialism . . 193
XVIII. Literature of Fourierism . . 200
XIX. The Personnel of Fourierism . 211
XX. The Sylvania Association . 233
VI CONTENTS.
XXT. Other Pennsylvania Experiments 251
XXII. The Volcanic District . . 267
XX] II. The Clarkson Phalanx . . . 278
XXIV. The Sodus Bay Phalanx . . 286
XXV. Other New York Experiments . 296
XXVI. The Marlboro Association . 309
XXVII. Prairie Home Community . .316
XXVIII. The Trumbull Phalanx . . 328
XXIX. The Ohio Phalanx . . . 354
XXX. The Clermont Phalanx . . 366
XXXI. The Integral Phalanx . . . 377
XXXII. The Alphadelphia Phalanx . 388
XXXIII. La Grange Phalanx . . . 397
XXXIV. Other Western Experiments . 404
XXXV. The Wisconsin Phalanx . . .411
XXXVI. The North American Phalanx 449
XXXVII. Life at The North American . 468
XXXVIII. End of the North American . 487
XXXIX. Conversion of Brook Farm . .512
XL. Brook Farm and Fourierism . 529
XLI. Brook Farm and Swfdenborgianism 537
XLII. The End of Brook Farm . . 551
XLIII. The Spiritualist Communities . 564
XLIV. The Brocton Community . . 577
XLV. The Shakers ..... 595
XLVI. The Oneida Community . . 614
XLVII. Review and Results . . . 646
XLVIII. Two Schools of Socialism . 658
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
Many years ago, when a branch of the Oneida Com-
munity lived at Willow Place in Brooklyn, near New
York, a sombre pilgrim called there one day, asking for
rest and conversation. His business proved to be the
collecting of memoirs of socialistic experiments. We
treated him hospitably, and gave him the information
he sought about our Community. He repeated his
visit several times in the course of some following years,
and finally seemed to take a very friendly interest
in our experiment. Thus we became acquainted with
him, and also in a measure with the work he had
undertaken, which was nothing less than a history
of all the Associations and Communities that have
lived and died in this country, within the last thirty
or forty years.
This man's name was A. J. Macdonald. We re-
member that he was a person of small stature, with
black hair and sharp eyes. He had a benevolent air,
but seemed a little sad. We imagined that the sad
2 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
scenes he had encountered while looking after the
stories of so many short-lived Communities, had given
him a tinge of melancholy. He was indeed the " Old
Mortality" of Socialism, wandering from grave to
grave, patiently deciphering the epitaphs of defunct
" Phalanxes." We learned from him that he was a
Scotchman by birth, and a printer by trade ; that he
was an admirer and disciple of Owen, and came from
the " old country" some ten years before, partly to see
and follow the fortunes of his master's experiments in
Socialism: but finding Owenism in ruins and Fourier-
ism going to ruin, he took upon himself the task of
making a book, that should give future generations
the benefit of the lessons taught by these attempts
and failures.
His own attempt was a failure. He gathered a huge
mass of materials, wrote his preface, and then died in
New York of the cholera. Our record of his last
visit is dated February, 1854.
Ten years later our attention was turned to the
project of writing a history of American Socialisms.
Such a book seemed to be a want of the times.
We remembered Macdonald, and wished that by some
chance we could obtain his collections. But we had
lost all traces of them, and the hope of recovering
them from the chaos of the great city where he died,
seemed chimerical. Nevertheless some of our asso-
ciates, then in business on Broadway, commenced
inquiring at the printing offices, and soon found
acquaintances of Macdonald, who directed them to
the residence of his brother-in-law in the city. There,
to our joyful surprise, we found the collections we were
in search of, lying useless except as mementos, and a
MACDONALD. 3
gentleman in charge of them who was willing we should
take them and use them as we pleased.
On examining our treasure, we found it to be a
pile of manuscripts, of letter-paper size and three
inches thick, with- printed scraps from newspapers
and pamphlets interspersed. All was in the loosest
state of disorder ; but we strung the leaves together,
paged them, and made an index of their contents.
The book thus extemporized has been our companion,
as the reader will see, in the ensuing history. The
number of its pages is seven hundred and forty-seven.
The index has the names of sixty-nine Associative
experiments, beginning with Brook Farm and ending
with the Shakers. The memoirs are of various lengths,
from a mere mention to a narrative of nearly a hun-
dred pages. Among them are notices of leading
Socialists, such as Owen, Fourier, Frances Wright, &c.
The collection was in no fit condition for publication ;
but it marked out a path for us, and gave us a mass
of material that has been very serviceable, and prob-
ably could not elsewhere be found.
The breadth and thoroughness of Macdonald's inten-
tion will be seen in the following circular which, in
the prosecution of his enterprise, he sent to many
leading Socialists.
PRINTED LETTER OF INQUIRY.
"New York, Marchy 185 1.
" I have been for some time engaged in collecting
the necessary materials for a book, to be entitled ' The
Comimtnities of the United States', in which I propose
giving a brief account of all the social and co-opera-
tive experiments that have been made in this country
4 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
— their origin, principles, and progress ; and, particu-
larly, the causes of their success or failure.
" I have reason to believe, from long experience
among social reformers, that such a work is needed,
and will be both useful and interesting. It will serve
as a guide to all future experiments, showing what
has already been done ; like a light-house, pointing
to the rocks on which so many have been wrecked,
or to the haven in which the few have found rest.
It will give facts and statistics to be depended upon,
gathered from the most authentic sources, and form-
ing a collection of interesting narratives. It will
show the errors of enthusiasts, and the triumphs of
the cool-thinking ; the disappointments of the sanguine,
and the dear-bought experience of many social adven-
turers. It will give mankind an idea of the labor of
body and mind that has been expended to realize a
better state of society ; to substitute a social and co-
operative state for a competitive one ; a system of
harmony, for one of discord.
" To insure the truthfulness of the work, I propose
to gather most of my information from individuals who
have actually been engaged in the experiments of which
I treat. With this object in view, I take the liberty to
address you, asking your aid in carrying out my plan.
I request you to give me an account of the experiment
in which you were engaged at . For instance,
I require such information as the following questions
would call forth, viz :
" I. Who originated it, or how was it originated .-'
" 2. What were its principles and objects .-'
" 3. What were its means in land and money .■'
" 4. Was all the property put into common stock .-'
MACDONALD. 5
" 5. What was the number of persons in the Asso-
ciation ?
" 6. What were their trades, occupations and amount
of skill?
" 7. Their education, natural intelligence and morality ?
*' 8. What religious belief, and if any, how preached
and practised ?
" 9. How were members admitted ? was there any
standard by which to judge them, or any property
qualification necessary ?
" 10. Was there a written or printed constitution or
laws? if so can you send me a copy?
"II. Were pledges, fines, oaths, or any coercive
means used ?
" 12. When and where did the Association commence
its experiment ? Please describe the locality ; what
dwellings and other conveniences were upon it ; how
many persons it could accommodate ; how many persons
lived on the spot ; how much land was cultivated ;
whether there were plenty of provisions ; &c., &c.
" 1 3. How was the land obtained ? Was it free or
mortgaged ? Who owned it ?
" 14. Were the new circumstances of the associates
superior or inferior to the circumstances they enjoyed
previous to their associating ?
" 15. Did they obtain aid from without?
" 1 6. What particular person or persons took the lead ?
" 17. Who managed the receipts and expenditures,
and were they honestly managed ?
" 18. Did the associates agree or disagree, and in
what ?
" 19. How long did they keep together?
6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" 20. When and why did they break up ? State the
causes, direct and indirect.
"21. If successful, what were the causes of success.'*
" Any other information relating to the experiment,
that you may consider useful and interesting, will be
acceptable. By such information you will confer a
great favor, and materially assist me in what I con-
sider a good undertaking.
" The work I contemplate will form a neat i2mo.
volume, of from 200 to 280 pages, such as Lyell's
' Tour in the United States,' or Gorrie's ' Churches
and Sects of the United States.' It will be published
in New York and London at the lowest possible price,
say, within one dollar ; and it is my intention, if pos-
sible, to illustrate the work with views of Communities
now in progress, or of localities rendered interesting
by having once been the battle grounds of the new
system against the old.
" Please make known the above, and favor me with
the names and addresses of persons who would be
willing to assist me with such information as I require.
" Trusting that I shall receive the .'^ame kind aid
from you that I have already received from so many
of my friends,
" I remain, very respectfully, yours,
" A. J. Macdonald."
Among the manuscripts in Macdonald's collection
are many that were evidently written in resp( nse to
this circular. Many others were written by himself
as journals or reports of his cnvn visits to various
Associations. We have reason to believe that he spent
most of his time from his arrival in this country in
MACDONALD. 7
1842 till his death in 1854, in pilgrimages to every
Community, and even to every grave of a Commu-
nity, that he could hear of, far and near.
He had done his work when he died. His collec-
tion is nearly exhaustive in the extent of its survey.
Very few Associations of any note are overlooked.
And he evidently considered it ready for the press ;
for most of his memoirs are endorsed with the word
"Complete" and with some methodical directions to the
printer. He had even provided the illustrations prom-
ised in his circular. Among his manuscripts are the
following pictures :
A pencil sketch and also a small wood engraving of
the buildings of the North American Phalanx ;
A wood engraving of the first mansion house of the
Oneida Community ;
A pencil sketch of the village of Modern Times ;
A view in water-colors of the domain and cabin of
the Clermont Phalanx ;
A pencil sketch of the Zoar settlement ;
Four wood engravings of Shaker scenes ; two of
them representing dances ; one, a kneeling scene : and
one, a " Mountain meeting ;" also a pencil sketch of
Shaker dwellings at Watervliet ;
A portrait of Robert Owen in wood ;
A very pretty view of New Harmony in India ink ;
A wood-cut of one of Owen's imaginary palaces ;
Two portraits of Frances Wright in wood ; one
representing her as she was in her prime of beauty, and
the other, as she was in old age ;
A fine steel engraving of Fourier.
In the* following preface, which was found among
Macdonald's manuscripts, and which is dated a few
8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
months before his death, we have a last and sure sig-
nal that he considered his collection finished :
PREFACE TO THE BOOK THAT WAS NEVER PUBLISHED.
" I performed the task of collecting the materials
which form this volume, because I thought I was
doing good. At one time, sanguine in anticipating
brilliant results from Communism, I imagined mankitid
better than they are, and that they would speedily prac-
tise those principles which I considered so true. But
the experience of years is now upon me ; I have mingled
with * the world,' seen stem reality, and now am anxious
to do as much as in me lies, to make known to the
many thousands who look for a ' better state' than this
on earth as well as in heaven, the amount (as it were
at a glance ) of the labors which have been and are
now being performed in this country to realize that
' better state'. It may help to waken dreamers, to
guide lost wanderers, to convince skeptics, to re-assure
the hopeful ; it may serve the uses of Statesmen and
Philosophers, and interest the general reader ; but it is
most desirable that it should increase the charity of
all those who may please to examine it, when they see
that it was for Humanity, in nearly all instances, that
these things were done.
" Of necessity the work is imperfect, because of the
difficulty in obtaining information on such subjects ; but
the attempt, whatever may be its result, should not be
put off, since there is reason to believe that if not now
collected, many particulars of the various movements
would be forever lost.
" It remains for a future historian to continue the
labor which I have thus superficially commenced ; for
MACDONALD. g
the day has not yet arrived when it can be said that
Communism or Association has ceased to exist ; and
it is possible yet, in the progress of things, that man
will endeavor to cure his social diseases by some such
means ; and a future history may contain the results
of more important experiments than have ever yet been
attempted.
" I here return my thanks to the fearless, confiding,
and disinterested friends, who so freely shared with me
what little they possessed, to assist in the completion
of this work. I name them not, but rejoice in their
assistance. A. J. Macdonald.
"New York City, 1854."
The tone of this preface indicates that Macdonald
was discouraged. The effect of his book, if he had
lived to publish it, would have been to aggravate the
re-action against Socialism which followed the collapse
of Fourierism. We hope to make a better use of his
materials.
It should not be imagined that we are about to edit
his work. A large part of his collections we shall
omit, as irrelevant to our purpose. That part which
we use will often be reconstructed and generally con-
densed. Much of our material will be obtained from
other sources. The plan and theory of this history
are our own, and widely different from any that Mac-
donald would have been willing to indorse. With these
qualifications, we still acknowledge a large debt of
gratitude to him and to the Providence Ihat gave us
his collections.
10
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER II.
BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF THE EXPERIMENTS.
A GENERAL survey of the Socialistic field will be use-
ful, before entering on the memoirs of particular Associ-
ations ; and for this purpose we will now spread before
us the entire Index of Macdonald's collections, adding
to it a schedule of the number of pages which he gave
to the several Associations, and the dates of their
beginning and ending, so far as we have been able to
find them. Many of the transitory Associations, it
will be seen, " made no sign " when they died. The
continuous Communities, such as the Shakers, of course
have no terminal date.
INDEX OF macdonald's COLLECTION.
Associations, &c.
Alphadelphia Phalanx
Auxiliary Branch of the Association of
All Classes of All Nations
Blue Spring Community
Brazilian Experiment
Brook Farm
Brooke's Experiment
Brotherhood of the Union
Bureau Co. Phalanx
No. of Pages.
Dates.
7
1843—6.
on of
3
1836.
I
1826—7.
I
1841.
20
1842—7.
5
1844.
I
1850 — I.
I
1843.
BIRDS-EYE VIEW.
I I
Cincinnati Brotherhood
Clarkson Industrial Association
Clermont Phalanx
Colony of Bethel
Columbian Phalanx
Commonwealth Society
Communia Working Men's League
Convention at Boston of the Friends
of Association
Convention in New York for organizing
an Industrial Congress
Co-operating Society of Alleghany Co.
Coxsackie Community
Davis' Harmonial Brotherhood
Dunkers ....
Ebenezer Community
Emigration Society, 2d Section
Forrestville Community
Fourier, Life of
Franklin Community
Garden Grove
Goose Pond Community
Grand Prairie Community
Grand Prairie Harmonial Institute
Guatemala Experiment
Haverstraw Community
Hopedale Community
Hunt's Experiment of Equality
Icaria ....
Integral Phalanx
Jefferson County Industrial Association
Kendal Community
Lagrange Phalanx
Leraysville Phalanx
Macluria
Marlboro Association
5
II
13
II
I
I
I
1845—8.
1844.
1844—7.
1852.
1845.
18 19
1350
I
i«45
I
1825
2
1826-
2
1851
4
1724
5
1843
4
1843
I
18-5
3
I
1826
I
1848
I
1843
2
184--.
8
1853.
I
184,^
3
1826
13
1842.
12
1843-
82
1849.
5
1845.
3
1843.
4
1826.
2
1843-
5
1844.
7
1826.
10
1841.
12
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
McKean County Association
I
1843.
Modern Times
3
1851.
Moorhouse Union
6
1843.
Moravians, or United Brethren
9
1745-
Murray, Orson S.
3
Nashoba . . . .
14
1825-
-8.
New Lanark
lO
1799.
New Harmony
6o
1825-
-7-
North American Phalanx
38
1843-
SB-
Northampton Association
7
1842.
Ohio Phalanx
II
1844-
'S
Oneida Community
27
1847.
One-mentian Community
6
1843.
Ontario Phalanx
I
1844.
Owen, Robert
25
Prairie Home Community
23
1844.
Raritan Bay Union
5
1853-
Sangamon Phalanx
I
1845.
Shakers
93
1776.
Skaneateles Community
18
1843-
-6
Social Reform Unity
23
1842.
Sodus Bay Phalanx
3
1844.
Spiritual Community at Mountain
Cove 3
1853-
Spring Farm Association
3
1846-
-9
St. Louis Reform Association
I
1851.
Sylvania Association
25
1843-
-s
Trumbull Phalanx
13
1844-
-7
United Germans
2
1827.
Venezuelan Experiment
25
1844-
-6
Warren, Josiah, Time Store &c.
TI
1842.
Washtenaw Phalanx
I
1843-
Wisconsin Phalanx
21
1844-
50
Wright, Frances
9
Wilkinson, Jemima, and her Comn
lunity 5
1780.
Yellow Springs Community
I
1825.
Zoar
8
1819.
BIRDS-EYE VIEW. 1 3
On general survey of the matter contained in this
index, we may begin to sort it in the following manner:
First we will lay aside the antique religions Associ-
ations, such as the Dunkers, Moravians, Zoarites, &c.
We count at least seven of these, which do not properly
belong to the modern socialistic movement, or even to
American life. Having their origin in the old world,
and most of them in the last century, and remaining
without change, they exist only on the outskirts of
general society.
Next we put out of account the foreign Associations,
such as the Brazilian and Venezuelan experiments.
With these may be classed those of the Icarians and
some others, which, though within the United States,
are, or were, really colonies of foreigners. We see six
of this sort in the index.
Thirdly, we dismiss two or three Spiritualistic at-
tempts that are named in the list ; first, because they
never attained to the dignity of Associations ; and sec-
ondly, because they belonged to a later movement than
that which Macdonald undertook to record. The social
experiments of the Spiritualists should be treated by
themselves, as the secjiielce of the Fourier excitement of
Macdonald's time.
The Associations that are left after these exclusions,
naturally fall into two groups, viz. ; those of the Owen
MOVEMENT, and those of the Fourier movement.
Robert Owen came to this country and commenced
his experiments in Communism in 1824. This was the
beginning of a national excitement, which had a course
somewhat like that of a religious revival or a political
campaign. This movement seems to have culminated
in 1 826 ; and, grouped around or near that year, we find
14 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
in Macdonald's list, the names of eleven Communities.
These were not all strictly Owenite Communities, but
probably all owed their birth to the general excitement
that followed Owen's labors, and may therefore, properly
be classified as belonging to the Owen movement.
Fourierism was introduced into this country by Albert
Brisbane and Horace Greeley in 1842, and then com-
menced another great national movement similar to that
of Owenism, but far more universal and enthusiastic.
We consider the year 1843 the focal period of this
social revival ; and around that year or following it with-
in the forties, we find the main group of Macdonald's
Associations. Thirty-four of the list may clearly be re-
ferred to this epoch. Many, and perhaps most of them,
never undertook to carry into practice Fourier's theories
in full ; and some of them would disclaim all afiTiliation
with Fourierism ; but they all originated in a common
excitement, and that excitement took its rise from the
publications of Brisbane and Greeley.
Confining ourselves, for the present, to these two
groups of Associations, belonging respectively to the
Owen movement of 1826 and the Fourier movement of
1843, we will now give a brief statistical account of each
Association ; i. e., all we can find in Macdonald's collec-
tion, on the following points : i, Locality; 2, Number
of members ; 3, Amount of land ; 4, Amount of debt ;
5, Duration. We give the amount of land instead of
any other measurement of capital, because all and more
than all the capital of the Associations was generally
invested in land, and because it is difficult to distinguish,
in most cases, between the cash capital that was actually
paid in, and that which was only subscribed or talked
about.
BIRDS-EYE VIEW. 1 5
As to the reliability of these statistics, we can only-
say that we have patiently picked them out, one by one,
like scattered bones, from Macdonald's heap. Though
they may be faulty in some details, we are confident that
the general idea they give of the attempts and experien-
ces of American Socialists, will not be far from the truth.
Experiments of the Owen EpocJi.
Blue Spring Community ; Indiana ; no particulars,
except that it lasted " but a short time."
Co-operative Society ; Pennsylvania ; no particulars.
Coxsackie Community ; New York ; capital " small ;"
" very much in debt ;" duration between i and 2 years.
Forrestville Community ; Indiana ; " over 60 mem-
bers ;" 325 acres of land ; duration more than a year.
Franklin Community ; New York ; no particulars.
Haverstraw Community ; New York ; about 80 mem-
bers ; 120 acres ; debt ^12,000 ; duration 5 months.
Kendal Community ; Ohio ; 200 members ; 200
acres ; duration about 2 years.
Macluria ; Indiana; 1200 acres; duration about 2
years.
New Harmony ; Indiana ; 900 members ; 30,000 acres,
worth $150,000 ; duration nearly 3 years.
Nashoba ; Tennessee; 15 members; 2,000 acres ;
duration about 3 years.
Yellow Spring Community ; Ohio ; 75 to 100 families ;
duration 3 months.
Experitnents of the Fonrier Epoch.
Alphadelphia Phalanx ; Michigan ; 400 or 500 mem-
bers ; 2814 acres ; duration 2 years and 9 months.
Brook Farm; Massachusetts; 115 members; 200
acres ; duration 5 years.
1 6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Brooke's experiment ; Ohio ; few members ; no fur-
ther particulars.
Bureau Co. Phalanx ; Illinois ; small ; no particulars.
Clarkson Industrial Association ; New York ; 420
members ; 2000 acres ; duration from 6 to 9 months.
Clermont Phalanx ; Ohio ; 120 members ; 9C0 acres ;
debt 1^19,000 ; duration 2 years or more.
Columbian Phalanx ; Ohio ; no particulars.
Garden Grove ; Iowa ; no particulars.
Goose Pond Community ; Pennsylvania ; 60 members ;
duration a few months.
Grand Prairie Community ; Ohio ; no particulars.
Hopedale ; Massachusetts ; 200 members ; 500 acres ;
duration not stated, but commonly reported to be 17 or
18 years.
Integral Phalanx ; Illinois ; 30 families ; 508 acres ;
duration 17 months.
Jefferson Co. Industrial Association ; New York ; 400
members ; 1 200 acres of land ; duration a few months.
Lagrange Phalanx ; Indiana ; 1000 acres ; no further
particulars.
Leraysville Phalanx ; Pennsylvania ; 40 members ;
300 acres ; duration 8 months.
Marlboro Association ; Ohio ; 24 members ; had " a
load of debt ;" duration nearly 4 years.
McKean Co. Association ; Pennsylvania ; 30,000
acres ; no further particulars.
Moorhouse Union ; New York ; 1 20 acres ; duration
" a few months."
North American Phalanx; New Jersey; 112 mem-
bers ; 673 acres ; debt ;$ 17,000 ; duration 12 years.
Northampton Association ; Massachusetts ; 1 30 mem-
BIRDS-EYE VIEW. 1 7
bers ; 500 acres of land ; debt ;^40,cx)0 ; duration 4
years.
Ohio Phalanx ; 100 members ; 2,2(X> acres ; deeply
in debt ; duration 10 months.
One-mentian (meaning probably one-mind) Commu-
nity ; Pennsylvania ; 800 acres ; duration one year.
Ontario Phalanx ; New York ; brief duration.
Prairie Home Community ; Ohio ; 500 acres ; debt
broke it up ; duration one year.
Raritan Bay Union ; New Jersey ; few members ;
268 acres.
Sangamon Phalanx ; Illinois ; no particulars.
Skaneateles Community ; New York ; 150 members ;
354 acres ; debt $10,000 ; duration 2 1-2 years.
Social Reform Unity ; Pennsylvania ; 20 members ;
2,000 acres ; debt $2,400 ; duration about 10 months.
Sodus Bay Phalanx ; New York ; 300 members ;
1,400 acres ; duration a " short time."
Spring Farm Association ; Wisconsin ; 10 families ;
duration 3 years.
Sylvania Association ; Pennsylvania ; 145 members ;
2394 acres ; debt $7,900 ; duration nearly 2 years.
Trumbull Phalanx ; Ohio ; 1500 acres ; duration 2 1-2
years.
Washtenaw Phalanx ; Michigan ; no particulars.
Wisconsin Phalanx ; 32 families ; 1,800 acres ; dura-
tion 6 years.
F ecapitulation and Comments.
I. Localities. The Owen group were distributed
among the States as follows : in Indiana, 4 ; in New
York, 3 ; in Ohio, 2 ; in Pennsylvania, i ; in Ten-
nessee, I.
l8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
The Fourier group were located as follows : in Ohio,
8 ; in New York, 6 ; in Pennsylvania, 6 ; in Massachu-
setts, 3 ; in Illinois, 3 ; in New Jersey, 2 ; in Michi-
gan, 2 ; in Wisconsin, 2 ; in Indiana, i ; in Iowa, i.
Indiana had the greatest number in the first group,
and the least in the second.
New England was not represented in the Owen
group ; and only by three Associations in the Fourier
group ; and those three were all in Massachusetts.
The southern states were represented by only one
Association — that of Nashoba, in the Owen group — and
that was little more than an eleemosynary attempt of
Frances Wright to civilize the negroes.
The two groups combined were distributed as follows :
in Ohio, 10 ; in New York, 9 ; in Pennsylvania, 7 ; in
Indiana, 5 ; in Massachusetts, 3 ; in Illinois, 3 ; in New
Jersey, 2 ; in Michigan, 2 ; in Wisconsin, 2 ; in Tennes-
see, I ; in Iowa, i.
2. Nitmber of members. The figures in our epitome
(reckoning five persons to a family when families are
mentioned), give an aggregate of 4,801 members : but
these belong to only twenty-five Associations. The
numbers of the remaining twenty are not definitely
reported. The average of those reported is about 192
to an Association. Extending this average to the rest,
we have a total of 8,641.
The numbers belonging to single Associations vary
from 1 5 to 900 ; but in a majority of cases they were
between 100 and 200.
3. The amount of land reported is enormous. Aver-
aging it as we did in the case of the number of mem-
bers, we make a grand total of 136,586 acres, or about
BIRDS-EYE VIEW. I9
3,000 acres to each Association ! This is too much for
any probable average. We will leave out as excep-
tional, the 60,000 acres reported as belonging to New
Harmony and the McKean Co. Association. Then
averaging as before, we have a grand total of 44,624
acres, or about i ,000 acres to each Association.
Judging by our own experience we incline to think
that this fondness for land, which has been the habit
of Socialists, had much to do with their failures. Farm-
ing is about the hardest and longest of all roads to for-
tune : and it is the kind of labor in which there is the
most uncertainty as to modes and theories, and of course
the largest chance for disputes and discords in such
complex bodies as Associations. Moreover the lust for
land leads off into the wilderness, " out west," or into
by-places, far away from railroads and markets ; whereas
Socialism, if it is really ahead of civilization, ought to
keep near the centers of business, and at the front of
the general march of improvement. We should have
advised the Phalanxes to limit their land-investments to
a minimum, and put their strength as soon as possible
into some form of manufacture. Almost any kind of a
factory would be better than a farm for a Community
nursery. We find hardly a vestige of this policy in
Ma^donald's collections. The saw-mill is the only form
of mechanism that figures much in his reports. It is
really ludicrous to see how uniformly an old saw-mill
turns up in connection with each Association, and how
zealously the brethren made much of it ; but that is
about all they attempted in the line of manufacturing.
Land, land, land, was evidently regarded by them as the
mother of all gain and comfort. Considering how much
they must have run in debt for land, and how little
20 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
profit they got from it, we may say of them almost
literally, that they were " wrecked by running aground."
4. Amount of debt. Macdonald's reports on this
point are few and indefinite. The sums owed are stated
for only seven of the Associations. They vary from
$1,000 to $40,000. Five other Associations are re-
ported as "very much in debt, " " deeply in debt," &c.
The exact indebtedness of these and of the remaining
thirty-three, is probably beyond the reach of history.
But we have reason to think that nearly all of them
bought, to begin with, a great deal more land than they
paid for. This was the fashion of the socialistic schools
and of the times.
5. The duration of fourteen Associations is not re-
ported ; twelve lasted less than i year ; two i year ;
four between i and 2 years ; three 2 years ; four
between 2 and 3 years ; one between 3 and 4 years ;
one 4 years ; one 5 years ; one 6 years ; one 1 2 years,
and one (it is said) 1/ years. All died young, and most
of them before they were two years old.
21
CHAPTER III.
THEORY OF NATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Now that our phenomena are fairly before us, a little
speculation may be appropriate. One wants to know
what position these experiments, which started so
gaily and failed so soon, occupy in the history of this
country and of the world ; what relation they have to
Christianity ; what their meaning is in the great scheme
of Providence. Students of Socialism and history must
have some theory about their place and significance in
the great whole of things. We have studied them
somewhat in the circumspective way, and will devote a
few pages to our theory about them. It will at least
correct any impression that we intend to treat them dis-
respectfully.
And first we keep in mind a clear and wide dis-
tinction between the Associations and the movements
from which they sprung. The word movement is very
convenient, though very indefinite. We use it to desig-
nate the wide-spread excitements and discussions about
Socialism which led to the experiments we have
epitomized. In our last chapter we incidentally com-
pared the socialistic movements of the Owen and
22 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Fourier epochs to religious revivals. We might now
complete the idea, by comparing the Associations that
issued from those movements, to churches that were
organized in consequence of the revivals. A vast
spiritual and intellectual excitement is one thing ; and
the iitstitutions that rise out of it are another. We
must not judge the excitement by the institutions.
We get but a very imperfect idea of the Owen and
Fourier movements from the short-lived experiments
whose remains are before us in Macdonald's collections.
In the first place Macdonald, faithful as he was, did
not discover all the experiments that were made during
those movements. We remember some that are not
named in his manuscripts. And in the next place the
numbers engaged in the practical attempts were very
small, in comparison with the masses that entered into
the enthusiasm of the general movements and aban-
doned themselves to the idea of an impending social
revolution. The eight thousand and six hundred that
we found by averaging Macdonald's list, might probably
be doubled to represent the census of the obscure
unknown attempts, and then multiplied by ten to cover
the outside multitudes that were converted to Socialism
in the course of the Owen and Fourier revivals.
Owen in 1824 stirred the very life of the nation with
his appeals to Kings and Congresses, and his vast
experiments at New Harmony. Think of his family of
nine hundred members on a farm of thirty thousand
acres ! A magnificent beginning, that thrilled the
world ! The general movement was proportionate to
this beginning ; and though this great Community and
all the little ones that followed it failed and disappeared
in a few years, the movement did not cease. Owen and
NATIONAL EXPERIENCE. 2$
his followers — especially his son Robert Dale Owen and
Frances Wright — continued to agitate the country with
newspapers, public lectures, and " Fanny Wright socie-
ties," till their ideas actually got foot-hold and influence
in the great Democratic party. The special enthusiasm
for practical attempts at Association culminated in
1826, and afterwards subsided ; but the excitement
about Owen's ideas, which was really the Owen move-
ment, reached its height after 1830; and the embers of
it are in the heart of the nation to this day.
On the other hand, Fourier (by proxy) started
another national excitement in 1842. With young
Brisbane for its cosmopolitan apostle, and a national
newspaper, such as the New York Tribune was, for its
organ, this movement, like Owen's, could not be other-
wise than national in its dimensions. We shall have
occasion hereafter to show how vast and deep it was,
and how poorly it is represented by the Phalanxes that
figure in Macdonald's memoirs. Meanwhile let the
reader consider that several of the men who were
leaders in this excitement, were also leaders then and
afterwards in the old Whig party ; and he will have
reason to conclude that Socialism, in its duplex form of
Owenism and Fourierism, has touched and modified
both of the party-sections and all departments of the
national life.
We must not think of the two great socialistic revivals
as altogether heterogeneous and separate. Their parti-
zans maintained theoretical opposition to each other ;
but after all the main idea of both was the enlargement
of home — the extension of family union beyond the little
m.an-and-wife circle to large corporatio7ts . In this idea
the two movements were one ; and this was the charm-
24 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ing idea that caught the attention and stirred the enthu-
siasm of the American people. Owenism prepared the
way for Fourierism. The same men, or at least the
same sort of men that took part in the Owen move-
ment, were afterward carried away by the Fourier
enthusiasm. The two movements may, therefore, be
regarded as one ; and in that view, the period of the
great American socialistic revival extends from 1824,
through the final and overwhelming excitement of 1843,
to the collapse of Fourierism after 1846.
As a man who has passed through a series of
passional excitements, is never the same being after-
ward, so we insist that these socialistic paroxysms have
changed the heart of the nation ; and that a yearning
toward social reconstruction has become a part of the
continuous, permanent, inner experience of the Ameri-
can people. The Communities and Phalanxes died
almost as soon as they were born, and are now almost
forgotten. But the spirit of Socialism remains in the
life of the nation. It was discouraged and cast down
by the failures of 1828 and 1846, and thus it learned
salutary caution and self-control. But it lives still, as a
hope watching for the morning, in thousands and per-
haps millions who never took part in any of the experi-
ments, and who are neither Owenites nor Fourierites,
but simply Socialists without theory — believers in the
possibility of a scientific and heavenly reconstruction of
society.
Thus our theory harmonizes Owenism with Fourier-
ism, and regards them both as working toward the same
end in American history. Now we will go a step further
and attempt the reconciling of still greater repugnances
Since the war of 18 12 — 15, the line of socialistic ex-
NATIONAL EXPERIENCE. 25
citements lies parallel with the line of religious Revivals.
Each had its two great leaders, and its two epochs of
enthusiasm. Nettleton and Finney were to Revivals,
what Owen and Fourier were to Socialism. Nettleton
prepared the way for Finney, though he was opposed
to him, as Owen prepared the way for Fourier. The
enthusiasm in both movements had the same progres-
sion. Nettleton's agitation, like Owen's, was moderate
and somewhat local. Finney, like Fourier, swept the
nation as with a tempest. The Revival periods were a
little in advance of those of Socialism. Nettleton
commenced his labors in 1817, while Owen entered the
field in 1824. Finney was at the height of his power in
1 83 1 — 3, while Fourier was carrying all before him in
1842 — 3. Thus the movements were to a certain
extent alternate. Opposed as they were to each other
theologically — one being a movement of Bible men, and
the other of infidels and liberals — they could not be
expected to hold public attention simultaneously. But
looking at the whole period from the end of the war in
18 1 5 to the end of Fourierism after 1846, and allowing
Revivals a little precedence over Socialism, we find the
two lines of excitement parallel, and their phenomena
wonderfully similar.
As we have shown that the socialistic movement was
national, so, if it were necessary, we might here show
that the Revival movement was national. There was a
time between 1831 and 1834 when the American people
came as near to a surrender of all to the Kingdom of
Heaven, as they came in 1843 to a socialistic revolution.
The Millennium seemed as near in 183 1, as Fourier's
Age of Harmony seemed in 1843. And the final effect
of Revivals was a hope watching for the morning, which
26 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
remains in the life of the nation, side by side, nay iden-
tical with, the great hope of Socialism.
And these movements — Revivalism and Socialism —
opposed to each other as they may seem, and as they
have been in the creeds of their partizans, are closely
related in their essential nature and objects, and mani-
festly belong together in the scheme of Providence,
as they do in the history of this nation. They are
to each other as inner to outer — as soul to body —
as life to its surroundings. The Revivalists had for
their great idea the regeneration of the soul. The
great idea of the Socialists was the regeneration ot
society, which is the soul's environment. These ideas
belong together, and are the complements of each other.
Neither can be successfuly embodied by men whose
minds are not wide enough to accept them both.
In fact these two ideas, which in modern times are
so wide apart, were present together in original Chris-
tianity. When the Spirit of truth pricked three thous-
and men to the heart and converted them on the day of
Pentecost, its next effect was to resolve them into one
family and introduce Communism of property. Thus
the greatest of all Revivals was also the great inaugura-
tion of Socialism.
Undoubtedly the Socialists will think we make too
much of the Revival movement ; and the Revivalists
will think we make too much of the Socialistic move-
ment ; and the politicians will think we make too much
of both, in assigning them important places in Ameri-
can history. But we hold that a man's deepest expe-
riences are those of religion and love ; and these are
just the experiences in respect to which he is most apt
to be ashamed, and most inclined to be silent. So the
NATIONAL EXPERIENCE. 27
nation says but little, and tries to think that it thinks
but little, about its Revivals and its Socialisms ; but
they are nevertheless the deepest and most interesting
passages of its history, and worth more study as deter-
minatives of character and destiny, than all its politics
and diplomacies, its money matters and its wars.
Doubtless the Revivalists and Socialists despise each
other, and perhaps both will despise us for imagining
that they can be reconciled. But we will say what we
believe ; and that is, that they have both failed in their
attempts to bring heaven on earth, because they despised
each other, and would not put their two great ideas
together. The Revivalists failed for want of regen-
eration of society, and the Socialists failed for want of
regeneration of the heart.
On the one hand the Revivalists needed daily meet-
ings and continuous criticism to save and perfect their
converts ; and these things they could not have without
a thorough reconstruction of domestic life. They tried
the expedient of "protracted meetings," which was really
a half-way attack on the fashion of the world ; but
society was too strong for them, and their half-measures
broke down, as all half-measures must. What they
needed was to convert their churches into unitary fam-
lies, and put them into unitary homes, where daily meet-
ings and continuous criticism are possible ; — and be-
hold, this is Socialism!
On the other hand the Socialists, as often as they
came together in actual attempts to realize their ideals,
found that they were too selfish for close organization.
The moan of Macdonald was, that after seeing the stern
reality of the experiments, he lost hope, and was obliged
to confess that he had " imagined mankind better than
28 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
they are." This was the final confession of the leaders
in the Associative experiments generally, from Owen to
the last of the Fourierites ; and this confession means,
that Socialism needed for its complement, regeneration
of the heart ; — and behold, this is Revivalism !
These discords and failures of the past surely have
not been in vain. Perhaps Providence has carried for-
ward its regenerative designs in two lines thus far, for
the sake of the advantage of a "division of labor."
While the Bible men have worked for the regeneration
of the soul, the infidels and liberals have been busy on
the problem of the reconstruction of society. Working
apart and in enmity, perhaps they have accomplished
more for final harmony than they could have done
together. Even their failures when rightly interpreted,
may turn to good account. They have both helped to
plant in the heart of the nation an unfailing hope of the
"good time coming." Their lines of labor, though we
have called them parallel, must really be convergent ;
and we may hope that the next phase of national history
will be that of Revivalism and Socialism harmonized,
and working together for the Kingdom of Heaven.
To complete our historical theory, we must mention
in conclusion, one point of contrast between the
Socialisms and the Revivals.
The Socialisms were imported from Europe ; while
the Revivals were America?i productions.
Owen was an Englishman, and Fourier was a
Frenchman ; but Nettleton and Finney were both
Americans — both natives of Connecticut.
In the comparison we confine ourselves to the period
since the war of 1812, because the history of the
general socialistic excitements in this country is limited
NATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
29
to that period. But the Revivals have an anterior his-
tory, extending back into the eadiest times of New-
England. The great American system, of Revivals, of
which the Nettleton and F'mney excitements were the
continuation, was born in the first half of the last cen-
tury, in central Massachusetts. Jonathan Edwards,
whose life extended from 1703 to 1758, was the father of
it. So that not only since the war of 18 12, but before
the Revolution of 1776, we find Revivalism, as a system,
strictly an American production.
We call the Owen and Fourier movements, American
Socialisms, because they were national in their dimen-
sions, and American life chiefly was the subject of them.
But looking at what may be called the male element in
the production of them, they were really European
movements, propagated in this country. Nevertheless,
if we take the view that Socialism and Revivalism are a
unit in the design of Providence, one looking to the
regeneration of externals and the other to the regenera-
tion of internals, we may still call the entire movement
American, as having Revivalism, which is American,
for its inner life, though Socialism, the outer element,
was imported from England and France.
30 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER IV.
NEW HARMONY.
American Socialisms, as we have defined them and
grouped their experiments, may be called nojt-religions
Socialisms. Several religious Communities flourished in
this country before Owen's attempts, and have con-
tinued to flourish here since the collapse of Fourierism.
But they were originally colonies of foreigners, and
never were directly connected with movements that
could be called national. Owen was the first Socialist
that stirred the enthusiasm of the whole American peo-
ple ; and he was the first, so far as we know, who tried
the experiment of a non-religious Community. And the
whole series of experiments belonging to the two great
groups of the Owen and Fourier epochs, followed in his
footsteps. The exclusion of theology was their dis-
tinction and their boast.
Our programme, limited as it is by its title to these
national Socialisms, does not strictly include the
religious Communities. Yet those Communities have
played indirectly a very important part in the drama of
American Socialisms, and will require considerable inci-
dental attention as we proceed.
NEW HARMONY. 3 1
In attemj^ting to make out from Macdonald's collec-
tion an outline of Owen's great experiment at New
Harmony (which was the prototype of all the Owen and
Fourier experiments), we find ourselves at the outset
quite unexpectedly dealing with a striking example of
the relation between the religious and non-religious
Communities.
Owen did not build the village of New Harmony, nor
create the improvements which prepared his 30,000
acres for his family of nine hundred. He bought them
outright from a previous religious Community ; and it is
doubtful whether he would have ever gathered his nine
hundred and made his experiment, if he had not found
a place prepared for him by a sect of Christian Com-
munists.
Macdonald was an admirer, we might almost say a
worshiper, of Owen. He gloats over New Harmony as
the very Mecca of his devotion. There he spent his
first eighteen months in this country. The finest pic-
ture in his collection is an elaborate India-ink drawing
of the village. But he scarcely mentions the Rappites
who built it. No separate account of them, such as he
gives of the Shakers and Moravians, can be found in his
manuscripts. This is an unaccountable neglect ; for
their pre-occupation of New Harmony and their trans-
actions with Owen, must have thrust them upon his
notice ; and their history is intrinsically as interesting,
to say the least, as that of any of the religious
Communities.
A glance at the history of the Rappites is in many
ways indispensable, as an introduction to an account of
Owen's New Harmony. We must therefore address
ourselves to the task which Macdonald neglected.
32 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
THE HARMONISTS.
In the first years of the present century, old Wur-
temburg, a province always famous for its religious
enthusiasms, was fermenting with excitement about the
Millennium ; and many of its enthusiasts were expect-
ing the speedy personal advent of Christ Among
these George Rapp became a prominent preacher, and
led forth a considerable sect into doctrines and ways
that brought upon him and them severe persecutions.
In 1803 he came to America to find a refuge for his
flock. After due exploration he purchased 5000 acres
of land in Butler Co., Pennsylvania, and commenced a
settlement which he called Harmony. In the summer of
1804 two ship-loads of his disciples with their families —
six hundred in all — came over the ocean and joined him
In 1805 the Society was formally organized as a Chris-
tian Community, on the model of the Pentecostal
church. For a time their fare was poor and their work
was hard. An evil eye from their neighbors was upon
them. I^ut they lived down calumny and suspicion by
well-doing, and soon made the wilderness blossom
around them like the rose. In 1807 they adopted the
principle of celibacy ; but in other respects they were
far from being ascetics. Music, painting, sculpture, and
other liberal arts flourished among them. Their mu-
seums and gardens were the wonder and delight of the
region around them. In 18 14, desiring warmer land
and a better location for business, they sold all in Penn-
sylvania and removed to Indiana On the banks of the
Wabash they built a new village and again called it
Harmony. Here they prospered more than ever, and
their number increased to nearly a thousand In 1824
they again became discontented with their location, on
NEW HARMONY. 33
account of bad neighbors and malaria. Again they sold
all, and returned to Pennsylvania ; but not to their old
home. They built their third and final village in Beaver
Co , near Pittsburgh, and called it Economy. There
they are to this day. They own railroads and oil wells
and are reported to be millionaires of the unknown
grade. In all their migrations from the old world to the
new, from Pennsylvania to Indiana, and from Indiana
back to Pennsylvania ; in all their perils by persecutions,
by false brethren, by pestilence, by poverty and wealth,
their religion held them together, and their union gave
them the strength that conquers prosperity. A notable
example of what a hundred families can do when they
have the wisdom of harmony, and fight the battle of life
in a solid phalanx ! A nobler " six hundred " than the
famous dragoons of Balaklava !
Such were the people who gave Robert Owen his first
lessons in Communism, and sold him their home in
Indiana. Ten of their best years they spent in building
a village on the Wabash, not for themselves (as it turned
out), but for a theater of the great infidel experiment.
Rev. Aaron Williams, D. D., the historian to whom we
are indebted for the facts of the above sketch, thus
describes the negotiations and the transfer :
" The Harmonists, when they began to think of re-
turning to Pennsylvania, employed a certain Richard
Flower, an Englishman, and a prominent member of an
English settlement in their vicinity, to negotiate for a
sale of their real estate, offering him five thousand dol-
lars to find a purchaser. Flower went to England for
this purpose, and hearing of Robert Owen's Community
at New Lanark, he sought him out and succeeded in
selling to him the town of Harmony, with«all its houses,
34 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
mills, factories and thirty thousand acres of land, for one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This was an im-
mense sacrifice ; but they were determined to leave the
country, and they submitted to the loss. Having in the
meantime made a purchase of their present lands in
Pennsylvania, on the Ohio river, they built a steamboat
and removed in detachments to their new and final place
of settlement."
Thus Owen, the first experimenter in non-religious
Association, had substantially the ready-made material
conditions which Fourier and his followers considered
indispensable to success.
We proceed now to give a sketch of the Owen
experiment chiefly in Macdonald's words. When our
own language occurs it is generally a condensation
of his.
Owen's new harmony.
" Robert Owen came to the United States in Decem-
ber 1824, to complete the purchase of the settlement at
Harmony. Mr. Rapp had sent an agent to England to
dispose of the property, and Mr. Owen fell in with him
there. In the spring of 1825 Mr. Owen closed the bar-
gain. The property consisted of about 30,000 acres of
land ; nearly 3,000 acres under cultivation by the society ;
19 detached farms; 600 acres of improved land occu-
pied by tenants ; some fine orchards ; eighteen acres
of full-bearing vines ; and the village, which was a
regularly laid out town, with streets running at right
angles to each other, and a public Square, around which
were large brick edifices, built by the Rappites for
churches, schools, and other public purposes."
We can form some idea of the size of the village from
NEW HARMONY. 35
the fact which we learn from Mr. WilUams, that the
Rappites, while at Harmony, numbered one thousand
souls. It does not appear from Macdonald's account
that Owen and his Community made any important
additions to the village.
"On the departure of the Rappites, persons favorable
to Mr. Owen's views came flocking to New Harmony
(as it was thenceforth called) from all parts of the coun-
try. Tidings of the new social experiment spread far
and wide ; and, although it has been denied, yet it is
undoubtedly true, that Mr Owen in his public lectures
invited the ' industrious and well disposed of all nations '
to emigrate to New Harmony. The consequence was,
that in the short space of six weeks from the commence-
ment of the experiment, a population of eight hundred
persons was drawn together, and in October 1825, the
number had increased to nine hundred."
As to the character of this population, Macdonald
insists that it was " as good as it could be under the
circumstances," and he gives the names of "many intel-
ligent and benevolent individuals who were at various
times residents at New Harmony." But he admits that
there were some " black sheep " in the flock. " It is
certain," he says, " that there was a proportion of needy
and idle persons, who crowded in to avail themselves
of Mr. Owen's liberal offer ; and that they did their
share of work more in the line of destruction than
construction "
Constitution No. i.
On the 27th of April 1825, Mr. Owen instituted a
sort of provisional government. In an address to the
people in New Harmony Hall, he informed them, " that
36 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
he had bought that property, and had come there to
introduce the practice of the new views ; but he showed
them the impossibility that persons educated as they
were, should change at once from an irrational to a
rational system of society, and the necessity for a * half-
way house,' in which to be prepared for the new system."
Whereupon he tendered them a Constitution, of which
we find no definite account, except that it was not fully
Communistic, and was to hold the people in probationary
training three years, under the title of the Prelitninary
Society of New Harmony. " After these proceedings
Mr. Owen left New Harmony for Europe, and the
Society was managed by the Preliminary Committee. i})''
We may imagine, each one for himself, what the nine
hundred did while Mr. Owen was away. Macdonald
compiled from the Nezv Harmojty Gazette a very rapid
but evidently defective account of the state of things in
this important interval. He says nothing about the
work on the 30,000 acres, but speaks of various minor
businesses as " doing well." The only manufactures
that appear to have " exceeded consumption " were those
of soap and glue. A respectable apothecary " dispensed
medicines without charge," and " the store supplied the
inhabitants with all necessaries " — probably at Mr.
Owen's expense. Education was considered " public
property," and one hundred and thirty children were
schooled, boarded and clothed from the public funds —
probably at Mr, Owen's expense. Amusements flour-
ished. The Society had a band of music ; Tuesday
evenings were appropriated to balls ; Friday evenings
to concerts — both in the old Rappite church. There
was no provision for religious worship. Five military
companies, " consisting of infantry, artillery, riflemen,
NEW HARMONY. 37
veterans and fusileers," did duty from time to time on
the public square.
Constitution No. 2.
"Mr. Owen returned to New Harmony on the I2th
of January, 1826, and soon after the members of the
Prehminary Society held a convention, and adopted a
constitution of a Community, entitled The New Har-
mony Coinnitinity of Equality. Thus in less than a
year, instead of three years as Mr. Owen had proposed,
the ' half-way house' came to an end, and actual Com-
munism commenced. A few of the members, who, on
account of a difference of opinions, did not sign the new
constitution, formed a second Community on the New
Harmony estate about two miles from the town, in
friendly connection with the first."
The new government instituted by Mr. Owen, was to
be in the hands of an Executive Council, subject at all
times to the direction of the Community ; and six gen-
tlemen were appointed to this function. But Macdonald
says : " Difficulties ensued in organizing the new Com-
munity. It appears that the plan of government by
executive council would not work, and that the members
were unanimous in calling upon Mr. Owen to take the
sole management, judging from his experience that he
was the only man who could do so. This call Mr.
Owen accepted, and we learn that soon after general
satisfaction and individual contentment took the place
of suspense and uncertainty."
This was in fact the inauguration of
Constitutioti No. 3.
" In March the Gazette says that under the indefati-
gable attention of Mr. Owen, order had been introduced
38 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
into every department of business, and the farm
presented a scene of active and steady industry. The
Society was rapidly becoming a Community of Equal-
ity. The streets no longer exhibited groups of idle
talkers, but each one was busily engaged in the occupa-
tion he had chosen. The public meetings, instead of
being the arenas for contending orators, were changed
into meetings of business, where consultations were held
and measures adopted for the comfort of all the members
of the Community.
"In April there was a disturbance in the village on
account of negotiations that were going on for securing
the estate as private property. Some persons attempted
to divide the town into several societies. Mr Owen
would not agree to this, and as he had the power, he
made a selection, and by solemn examination constituted
a nucleus of twenty-five men, which nucleus was to admit
members, Mr. Owen reserving the power to veto every
one admitted. Thqre were to be three grades of mem-
bers, viz., conditional members, probationary members,
and persons on trial. ( .-') The Community was to be
under the direction of Mr. Owen, until two-thirds of
the members should think fit to govern themselves, pro-
vided the time was not less than twelve months."
This may be called,
Constitutioji No. 4.
In May a third Community had been formed ; and
the population was divided between No. i, which was
Mr. Owen's Community, No. 2, which was called
Macluria, and No. 3, which was called Feiba Peven — a
name designating in some mysterious way the latitude
and longitude of New Harmony.
NEW HARMONY. 39
" May 27. The immigration continued so steadily,
that it became necessary for the Community to inform
the friends of the new views that the accommodations
were inadequate, and call upon them by advertisement
not to come until further notice."
Constitution No. 5.
" May 30. In consequence of a variety of troubles
and disagreements, chiefly relating to the disposal of
the property, a great meeting of the whole population
was held, and it was decided to form four separate
societies, each signing its own contract for such part of
the property as it should purchase, and each managing
its own affairs ; but to trade with each other by paper
money."
Mr. Owen was now beginning to make sharp bargains
with the independent Communities. Macdonald says,
" He had lost money, and no doubt he tried to regain
some of it, and used such means as he thought would
prevent further loss."
On the 4th of July Mr. Owen delivered his celebrated
Declaration of Mental Independence, from which we give
the following specimen :
" I now declare to you and to the world, that Man, up
to this hour, has been in all parts of the earth a slave
to a Trinity of the most monstrous evils that could be
combined to inflict mental and physical evil upon his
whole race. I refer to Private or Individual Property,
Absurd and Irrational systems of Religion, and Mar-
riage founded on Individual Property, combined with
some of these Irrational systems of Religion."
"August 20. After Mr. Owen had given his usual
address, it was unanimously agreed by the meeting that
40 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the entire population of New Harmony should meet
three times a week in the Hall, for the purpose of being
educated together. This practice was continued about
six weeks, when Mr. Owen became sick and it was
discontinued."
Constitution No. 6.
"August 25. The people held a meeting at which
they abolished all officers then existing, and appointed
three men as dictators."
Constitution No. 7.
"Sept. 17. A large meeting of all the Societies and
the whole population of the town took place at the Hall,
for the purpose of considering a plan for the 'ameliora-
tion of the Society, to improve the condition of the people,
and make them more contented.' A message was re-
ceived from Mr. Owen proposing to form a Community
with as many as would join him, and put in all their
property, save what might be thought necessary to re-
serve to help their friends ; the government to consist of
Robert Owen and four others of his choice, to be
appointed by him every year ; and not to be altered
for five years. This movement of course nullified all
previous organizations. Disagreements and jealousies
ensued, and, as was the case on a former change being
made, many persons left New Harmony.
"Nov. I. The Gazette says : 'Eighteen months ex-
perience has proved to us, that the requisite qualifications
for a permanent member of the Community of Common
Property are, i, Honesty of purpose ; 2, Temperance ;
3, Industry ; 4, Carefulness; 5, Cleanliness ; 6, Desire
for knowledge ; 7, A conviction of the fact that the
character of man is formed for, and not by, himself
NEW HARMONY. 4I
" Nov. 8. Many persons leaving. The Gazette shows
how impossible it is for a Community of common prop-
erty to exist, unless the members comprising it have
acquired the genuine Community character.
"Nov. II. Mr. Owen reviewed the last six months'
progress of the Community in a favorable light.
" In December the use of ardent spirits was abolished.
"Jan. 1827. Although there was an appearance of
increased order and happiness, yet matters were drawing
to a close. Owen was selling property to individuals ;
the greater part of the town was now resolved into
individual lots ; a grocery was established opposite the
tavern ; painted sign-boards began to be stuck up on the
buildings, pointing out places of manufacture and trade ;
a sort of wax-figure-and-puppet-show was opened at one
end of the boarding-house ; and every thing was getting
into the old style."
It is useless to follow this wreck further. Everybody
sees it must go down, and why it must go down. It is
like a great ship, wallowing helpless in the trough of a
tempestuous sea, with nine hundred passengers, and no
captain or organized crew! We skip to Macdonald's
picture of the end.
"June 18, 1827. The Gazette advertised that Mr.
Owen would meet the inhabitants of New Harmony and
the neighborhood on the following Sunday, to bid them
farewell. I find no account of this meeting, nor indeed
of any further movements of Mr. Owen in the Gazette.
After his departure the majority of the population also
removed and scattered about the country. Those who
remained returned to individualism, and settled as
farmers and mechanics in the ordinary way. One
portion of the estate was owned by Mr. Owen, and the
42 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
other by Mr. Maclure. They sold, rented, or gave away
the houses and lands, and their heirs and assigns have
continued to do so to the present day. "
Fifteen years after the catastrophe Macdonald was at
New Harmony, among the remains of the old Com-
munity population, and he says : " I was cautioned not to
speak of Socialism, as the subject was unpopular. The
advice was good ; Socialism was unpopular, and with
good reason. The people had been wearied and disap-
pointed by it ; had been filled full with theories, until
they were nauseated, and had made such miserable
attempts at practice, that they seemed ashamed of what
they had been doing. An enthusiastic socialist would
soon be cooled down at New Harmony. "
The strength of the reaction against Communism
caused by Owen's failure, may be seen to this day in
the sect devoted to " Individual Sovereignty. " Josiah
Warren, the leader of that sect, was a member of
Owen's Community, and a witness of its confusions and
downfall ; from which he swung off into the extreme of
anti-Communism. The village of " Modern Times, "
where all forms of social organization were scouted as
unscientific, was the electric negative of New Harmony.
Macdonald thus moralizes over his master's failure :
" Mr. Owen said he wanted honesty of purpose, and
he got dishonesty. He wanted temperance, and instead,
he was continually troubled with the intemperate. He
wanted industry, and he found idleness. He wanted
cleanliness, and found dirt. He wanted carefulness, and
found waste. He wanted to find desire for knowledge,
but he found apathy. He wanted the principles of the
formation of character understood, and he found them
misunderstood. He wanted these good qualities com-
NEW HARMONY. 43
bined in one and all the individuals of the Community,
but he could not find them ; neither could he find those
who were self-sacrificing and enduring enough, to
prepare and educate their children to possess these
qualities. Thus it was proved that his principles were
either entirely erroneous, or much in advance of the age
in which he promulgated them. He seems to have
forgotten, that if one and all the thousand persons
assembled there, had possessed the qualities which he
wished them to possess, there would have been no
necessity for his vain exertions to form a Community ;
because there would of necessity be brotherly love,
charity, industry and plenty. We want no more than
these ; and if this is the material to form Communities
of, and we can not find it, we can not form Communi-
ties ; and if we can not find parents who are ready and
willing to educate their children, to give them these
qualities for a Community life, then what hope is there
of Communism in the future.''"
Almost the only redeeming feature in or near this
whole scene of confusion — which might well be called
New Discord instead of New Harmony — was the silent
retreat of the Rappite thousand, which was so orderly
that it almost escaped mention. Remembering their
obscure achievements and their persistent success, we
can still be sure that the idea of Owen and his thousand
was not a delusion, but an inspiration, that only needed
wiser hearts, to become a happy reality.
44 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER V.
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY.
The only laudable object any one can have in rehearsing
and studying the histories of the socialistic failures, is
that of learning from them practical lessons for guidance
in present and future experiments. With this in view,
the great experiment at New Harmony is well worth
faithful consideration. It was, as we have said, the first
and most notable of the entire series of non-religious
Communities. It had for its antecedent the vast reputa-
tion that Owen had gained by his success at New
Lanark. He came to this country with the prestige of
a reformer who had the confidence and patronage of
Lords, Dukes and Sovereigns in the old world. His
lectures were received with attention by large assemblies
in our principal cities. At Washington he was accomo-
dated by the Speaker and President with the Hall of
Representatives, in which he delivered several lectures
before the President, the President elect, all the judges
of the Supreme Court, and a great number of members
of Congress. He afterwards presented to the Govern-
ment an expensive and elaborate model, with interior
and working drawings, elevations, &c , of one of the
magnificent communal edifices which he had projected.
He had a large private fortune, and drew into his schemes
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY. 45
Other capitalists, so that his experiment had the advan-
tage of unlimited wealth. That wealth, as we have seen,
placed at his command unlimited land and a ready-made
village. These attractions brought him men in unlimited
numbers.
How stupendous the revolution was that he contem-
plated as the result of his great gathering, is best seen
in the famous words which he uttered in the public hall
at New Harmony on the 4th of July, 1826. We have
already quoted from this speech a paragraph (under-
scored and double-scored by Macdonald ) about the awful
Trinity of man's oppressors — " Private property. Irra-
tional Religion, and Marriage." In the same vein he
went on to say :
" For nearly forty years have I been employed, heart
and soul, day by day, almost without ceasing, in prepar-
ing the means and arranging the circumstances, to
enable me to give the death-blow to the tyranny which,
for unnumbered ages, has held the human mind spell-
bound in chains of such mysterious forms that no mortal
has dared approach to set the suffering prisoner free !
Nor has the fullness of time for the accomplishment of
this great event, been completed until within this hour !
Such has been the extraordinary course of events, that
the Declaration of Political Independence in 1776,
has produced its counterpart, the Declaration of Mental
Independence in 1826 ; the latter just half a century from
the former. * * *
"In furtherance of our great object we are preparing
the means to bring up our children with industrious and
useful habits, with national and of course rational ideas
and views, with sincerity in all their proceedings ; and
to give them kind and affectionate feelings for each
46 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Other, and charity, in the most extensive sense of the
term, for all their fellow creatures.
" By doing this, uniting our separate interests into
one, by doing away with divided money transactions, by
exchanging with each other our articles of produce on
the basis of labor for equal labor, by looking forward to
apply our surplus wealth to assist others to attain similar
advantages, and by the abandonment of the use of spir-
itous liquors, we shall in a peculiar manner promote
the object of every wise government and all really
enlightened men.
" And here we now are, as near perhaps as we can be
in the' center of the United States, even, as it were, like
the little grain of mustard seed ! But with these Great
Truths before us, with the practice of the social system,
as soon as it shall be well understood among us, our
principles will, I trust, spread from Community to Com-
munity, from State to State, from Continent to
Continent, until this system and these truths shall over-
shadow the whole earth, shedding fragrance and
abundance, intelligence and happiness, upon all the sons
of men ! "
Such were the antecedents and promises of the New
Harmony experiment. The Professor appeared on the
stage with a splendid reputation for previous thauma-
turgy, with all the crucibles and chemicals around him
that money could buy, with an audience before him that
was gaping to see the last wonder of science : but on
applying the flame that was to set all ablaze with happi-
ness and glory, behold ! the material prepared would not
burn, but only sputtered and smoked ; and the curtain
had to come down upon a scene of confusion and
disappointment !
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY. 47
What was the difficulty ? Where was the mistake ?
These are the questions that ought to be studied till
they are fully answered ; for scores and hundreds of
just such experiments have been tried since, with the
same disastrous results ; and scores and hundreds will
be tried hereafter, till we go back and hold a faithful
inquest, and find a sure verdict, on this original failure.
Let us hear, then, what has been, or can be said, by
all sorts of judges, on the causes of Owen's failure, and
learn what we can.
Macdonald has an important chapter on this subject,
from which we extract the following :
" There is no doubt in my mind, that the absence of
Robert Owen in the first year of the Community was
one of the great causes of its failure ; for he was
naturally looked up to as the head, and his influence
might have kept people together, at least so as to effect
something similar to what had been effected at New
Lanark. But with a people free as these were from a set
religious creed, and consisting, as they did, of all nations
and opinions, it is doubtful if even Mr. Owen, had he
continued there all the time, could have kept them
permanently together. No comparison can be made
between that population and the Shakers, Rappites, or
Zoarites, who are each of one religious faith, and, save
the Shakers, of one nation.
"Mr. Samson, of Cincinnati, was at New Harmony
from the beginning to the end of the Community ; he
went there on the boat that took the last of the Rappites
away. He says the cause of failure was a rogue, named
Taylor, who insinuated himself into Mr. Owen's favor,
and afterward swindled and deceived him in a variety of
ways, among other things establishing a distillery, con-
48 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
trary to Mr. Owen's wishes and principles, and injurious
to the Community.
" Owen always held the property. He thought it
would be ten or twelve years before the Community
would fill up ; but no sooner had the Rappites left, than
the place was taken possession of by strangers from all
parts, while Owen was absent in England and the place
under the management of a committee. When Owen
returned and found how things were going, he deemed it
necessary to make a change, and notices were published
in all parts, telling people not to come there, as there
were no accommodations for them ; yet still they came,
till at last Owen was compelled to have all the log-cabins
that harbored them pulled down.
" Taylor and Fauntleroy were Owen's associates.
When Owen found out Taylor's rascality he resolved to
abandon the partnership with him, which Taylor would
only agree to upon Owen's giving him a large tract of
land, upon which he proposed to form a Community of
his own. The agreement was that he should have the
land and all npon it. So on the night previous to the
execution of the bargain, he had a large quantity of
cattle and farm implements put upon the land, and he
thereby came into possession of them ! Instead of
forming a Community, he built a distillery, and also set
up a tan-yard in opposition to Mr. Owen !
In the Free Enquirer oi June loth, 1829, there is an
article by Robert Dale Owen on New Lanark and New
Harmony, in which, after comparing the two places and
showing the difference between them, he makes the
following remark relative to the experiment at New
Harmony : " There was not disinterested industry, there
was not mutual confidence, there was not practical ex-
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY. 49
perience, there was not unison of action, because there
was not unanimity of counsel : and these were the
points of difference and dissension — the rocks on which
the social bark struck and was wrecked."
A letter in the Ne%v Harmony Gazette, of January
31, 1827, complains of the " slow progress of education
in the Community — the heavy labor, and no recompense
but cold water 2ind inferior provisions."
Paul Brown, who wrote a book entitled " Twelve
months at New Harmony," among his many complaints
says, " There was no such thing as real general common
stock brought into being in this place." He attributes
all the troubles, to the anxiety about " exclusive property "
principally on the part of Owen and his associates.
Speaking of one of the secondary Societies, he says
there were "class distinctions" in it; and Macluria or
the School Society he condemns as being most aristo-
cratical, "its few projectors being extremely wealthy."
In the New Moral World oi October 12, 1839, there
is an article on New Harmony, in which it is asserted
that Mr. Owen was induced to purchase that place on
the understanding that the Rappite population then
residing there would remain, until he had gradually
introduced other persons to acquire from them the
systematic and orderly habits, as well as practical
knowledge, which they had gained by many years of
practice. But by the removal of Rapp and his follow-
ers, Mr. Owen was left with all the property on his
hands, and he was thus compelled to get persons to
come there to prevent things from going to ruin.
Mr. Josiah Warren, in his "Practical Details of
Equitable Commerce," says : " Let us bear in mind
that during the great experiments in New Harmony in
50 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
1825 and 1826, every thing went delightfully on, except
pecuniary affairs ! We should, no doubt, have succeeded
but for property considerations. Rut then the experi-
ments never would have been commenced but for
property considerations. It was to annihilate social
antagonism by a system of -common property, that we
undertook the experiments at all."
Mr. Sargant, the English biographer of Owen, inti-
mates several times that religion was the first subject of
discord at New Harmony. His own opinion of the
cause of the catastrophe, he gives in the following
words :
" What were the causes of these failures .'' People
will give different answers, according to the general
sentiments they entertain. For myself I should say,
that such experiments must fail, because it is impossible
to mould to Communism the characters of men and
women, formed by the present doctrines and practices
of the world to intense individualism. I should indeed
go further by stating my convictions, that even with
persons brought up from childhood to act in common
and live in common, it would be impossible to carry out
a Communistic system, unless in a place utterly removed
from contact with the world, or with the help of some
powerful religious conviction. Mere benevolence, mere
sentiments of universal philanthropy, are far too weak
to bind the self-seeking affections of men."
John Pratt, a Positivist, in a communication to The
Oneida Circular, contributes the following philosophical
observations :
" Owen was a Scotch metaphysician of the old school.
As such, he was a most excellent fault-finder and dis-
organizer. He could perceive and depict the existing
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY. 5 1
discord, but knew not better than his contemporaries
Shelley and Godwin, where to find the New Harmony.
Like most men of the last generation he looked upon so-
ciety as a manufactured product, and not as an organism
endued with imperishable vitality and growth. Like
them he attributed all the evils it endured to priests
and politicians, whose immediate annihilation would be
followed by immediate, everlasting and universal happi-
ness. It would be astonishing if an experiment initiated
by such a class of thinkers should succeed under the
most favorable auspices. One word as to mere externals.
Owen was a skeptic by training, and a cautious man of
business by nature and nationality. He was professedly
an entire convert to his own principles ; yet set an
example of distrust by holding on to his thirty thousand
acres himself This would do when dealing with
starving Scotch peasantry, glad of the privilege of mod-
erately remunerated labor, good food and clothing.
Had he been a benevolent Southern planter he would
have succeeded admirably with negro slaves, who would
have been only too happy to accept any ' Principles.'
He had to do with people who had individual hopes and
aspirations. The internal affinities of Owen's Com-
mune were too weak to resist the attractions of the outer
world. Had he brought his New Lanark disciples to
New Harmony, the result would not have been different.
Removed from the mechanical pressure of despair and
want, his weakly cohered elements would quickly have
crumbled away."
Our chapter on New Harmony was submitted, soon
after it was written, to an evening gathering of the
Oneida Community, for the purpose of eliciting discus-
sions that might throw light on the failure ; and we take
52 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the liberty here to report some of the observations made
on that occasion. They have the advantage of coming
from persons who have had long experience in Com-
munity life.
E. H. Hamilton said — •' My admiration is excited, to
see a man w^ho was prospering in business as Mr Owen
was, turn aside from the general drift of the world,
toward social improvement. I have the impression that
he was sincere. He risked his money on his theories to
a certain extent. His attempt was a noble manifesta-
tion of humanity, so far as it goes. But he required
other people to be what he was not himself. He com-
plains of his followers, that they were not teachable. I
do not think he was a teachable man. He got a
glimpse of the truth, and of the possibilities of
Communism ; but he adopted certain ideas as to the
way in which these results are to be obtained, and it
seems to me, in regard to those ideas, he was not docile.
It must be manifest to all candid minds, that all the im-
provement and civilization of the present time, go along
with the development of Christianity ; and I am led to
wonder why a man with the discernment and honesty of
Mr. Owen, was not more impressible to the truth in this
direction. It seems to me he was as unreceptive to
the truths of Christianity, as the people he got together
at New Harmony were to his principles. His favorite
dogma was that a man's character is formed for him,
and not by himself I suppose we might admit, in a
certain sense, that a man's character is formed for him
by the grace of God, or by evil spirits. But the notion
that man is wholly the creature of external circum-
stances, irrespective of these influences, seems foolish
and pig-headed."
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY. 53
H. y. Seymour, — " I should not object to Owen's
doctrine of circumstances, if he would admit that the
one great circumstance of a man's life is the possibility
of finding out and doing the will of God, and getting
into vital connection with him."
5. R. Leonard. — " The people Mr. Owen had to deal
with in Scotland were of the servile class, employes
in his cotton-factories, and were easily managed, com-
pared with those he collected here in the United States.
When he went to Indiana, and undertook to manage a
family of a thousand democrats, he began to realize that
he did not understand human nature, or the principles
of Association."
T. R. Noyes. — " The novelty of Owen's ideas and his
rejection of all religion, prevented him from drawmg
into his scheme the best class in this country. Probably
for every honest man who went to New Harmony, there
were several parasites ready to prey on him and his
enterprise, because he offered them an easy life without
religion. Even if he might have got on with simple-
minded men and women like his Lanark operatives, it
was out of the question with these greedy adventurers."
G. W. Hamilton. — "At the west I met some persons
who claimed to be disciples of Owen. From what I
saw of them, I should judge it would be very difficult
to form a Community of such material. They were very
strong in the doctrine that every man has a right to his
own opinion ; and declaimed loudly against the effect
of religion upon people. They said the common ideas
of God and duty operated a great deal worse upon the
characters of men, than southern slavery. There is
enough in such notions of independence, to break up
any attempt at Communism."
54 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
F. W. Smith. — " I understand that Owen did not
educate and appoint men as leaders and fathers, to take
care of the society while he was crossing the ocean back
and forth. He undertook to manage his own affairs,
and at the same time to run this Community. Our
experience has shown that it is necessary to have a
father in a great family for daily and almost hourly
advice. I should think it would be doubly necessary in
such a Community as Owen collected, to have the wisest
man always at his post."
C. A. Burt. — "There are only two ways of governing
such an institution as a Community ; it must be done
either by law or by grace. Owen got a company
together and abolished law, but did not establish grace ;
and so, necessarily failed."
L. Bolles. — " The popular idea is that Owen and his
class of reformers had an ideal that was very beautiful
and very perfect ; that they had too much faith for their
time — too much faith in humanity ; that they were
several hundred years in advance of their age ; and that
the world was not good enough to understand them and
their beautiful ideas. That is the superficial view of
these men. I think the truth is, they were not up to
the times ; that mankind, in point of real faith, were
ahead of them. Their view that the evil in human
nature is owing to outward surroundings, is an impeach-
ment of the providence of God. It is the worst kind of
unbelief But they have taught us one great lesson ;
and that is, that good circumstances do not make good
men. I believe the circumstances of mankind are as
good as Providence can make them, consistently with
their own state of development and the well-being of
their souls. Instead of seeking to sweep away existing
NEW HARMONY. 55
governments and forms of outward things, we should
thank God that he has given men institutions as good as
they can bear. We know that he will give them better,
as fast as they improve beyond those they have."
y. B. Merrick — "Although the apparent eftect of the
failure of Owen's movement was to produce discourage-
ment, still below all that discouragement there is, in
the whole nation, generated in part by that movement,
a hope watching for the morning. We have to thank
Owen for so much, or rather to thank God, for using
Owen to stimulate the public mind and bring it to that
state in which it is able to receive and keep this hope
for the future."
C. VV. Undenvood. — " Owen's experiment helped to
demonstrate that there is no such thing as organization
or unity without Christ and religion. But on the other
hand we can see that Owen did much good. The
churches were compelled to adopt many of his ideas.
He certainly was the father of the infant-school system ;
and it is my impression that he started the reform-
schools, houses ol refuge, etc. He gave impulse, at any
rate, to the present reformatory movements."
It is noticeable, as a coincidence with our obser-
vations on the lust for land in a preceding chapter,
that Owen succeeded admirably in a factory, and failed
miserably on a farm. Whether his 30,000 acres had
anything to do with his actual failure or not, they would
probably have been the ruin of his Community, if it had
not failed from other causes.
We have reason to believe from many hints, that
whisky had considerable agency in the demoralization
and destruction of New Harmony. The affair of
56 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Taylor's distillery is one significant fact. Here is
another from Macdonald :
" I was one day at the tan-yard, where Squire B. and
some others were standing, talking around the stove.
During the conversation Squire B. asked us if he had
ever told us how he had served 'old Owen' in Community
times. He then informed us that he came from Illinois
to New Harmony, and that a man in Illinois was owing
him, and asked him to take a barrel of whisky for the
debt. He could not well get the money ; so took the
whisky. When it came to New Harmony he did not
know where to put it, but finally hid it in his cellar.
Not long after Mr. Owen found that the people still
got whisky from some quarter, he could not tell where,
though he did his best to find out. At last he sus-
pected Squire B., and came right into his shop and
accused him of it ; on which Squire B. had to own that
it was he who retailed the whisky. ' It was taken for a
debt,' said he, ' and what else was I to do to get rid of
it.''' Mr. Owen turned round, and in his simple manner
said, ' Ah, I see you do not understand the principles.'
This story was finished with a hearty laugh at 'old
Owen.' I could not laugh, but felt that such men as
Squire B. really did not understand the principles ; and
no wonder there are failures, when such men as he
thrust themselves in, and frustrate benevolent designs."
It was too early for a Community, when this country
was a "nation of drunkards," as it was in 1825.
Owen's method of getting together the material of his
Community, seems to us the most obvious external
cause of his failure. It was like advertising for a wife ;
and we never heard of any body's getting a good wife
by advertising. A public invitation to " the industrious
INQUEST ON NEW HARMONY. 57
and well-disposed of all nations," to come on and take
possession of 30,000 acres of land and a ready-made
village, leaving each one to judge as to his own industry
and disposition, would insure a prompt gathering — and
also a speedy scattering.
This method, or something like it, has been tried in
most of the non-religious experiments. The joint-stock
principle, which many of them adopted, necessarily
invites all who choose to buy stock. That principle
may form organizations that are able to carry on the
businesses of banks and railroads after a fashion ;
because such businesses require but little character,
except zeal and ability for money-making. But a true
Community, or even a semi-Community, like the Fourier
Phalanxes, requires far higher qualifications in its mem-
bers and managers.
The socialistic theorizers all assume that Association
is a step in advance of civilization. If that is true, we
must assume also that the most advanced class of
civilization is that which must take the step ; and a
discrimination of some sort will be required, to get that
class into the work, and shut off the barbarians who
would hinder it.
Judging from all our experience and observation, we
should say that the two most essential requisites for
the formation of successful Communities, are religions
principle and previous acquaintance of the members.
Both of these were lacking in Owen's experiment. The
advertising method of gathering necessarily ignores both.
Owen, in his old age, became a Spiritualist, and in
the light of his new experience confessed what seems to
us the principal cause of his failure. Sargant, his biogra-
pher, referring to chapter and verse in his writings says :
58 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" He confessed that until he received the revelations
of Spiritualism, he had been quite unaware of the
necessity of good spij'itiial cojiditions for forming the
character bf men. The physical, the intellectual, the
moral, and the practical conditions, he had understood,
and had known how to provide for ; but the spiritual he
had overlooked. Yet this, as he now saw, tvas the most
important of all in the future development of mankitid"
In the same new light, Owen recognized the principal
cause of all real success. Sargant continues :
" Owen says, that in looking back on his past life, he
can trace the finger of God directing his steps, preserv-
ing his life under imminent dangers, and impelling him
onward on many occasions. It was under the immediate
guidance of the Spirit of God, that during the inexperi-
ence of his youth, he accomplished much good for the
world. The preservation of his life from the peculiar
dangers of childhood, was owing to the monitions of
this good Spirit. To this superior invisible aid he
owed his appointment, at the age of seven years, to be
usher in a school, before the monitorial system of teach-
ing was thought of To this he must ascribe his
migration from an inaccessible Welsh county to London,
and then to Stamford, and his ability to maintain himself
without assistance from his friends. So he goes on
recounting all the events of his life, great and small, and
attributing them to the special providenxe of God."
59
CHAPTER VI.
YELLOW SPRINGS COMMUNITY.
The fame of New Harmony has of course overshadowed
and obscured all other experiments that resulted from
Owen's labors in this country. It is perhaps scarcely
known at this day that a Community almost as brilliant
as Brook Farm, was started by his personal efforts at
Cincinnati, even before he commenced operations at
New Harmony. The following sketch, clipped by Mac-
donald from some old newspaper (the name and date of
which are missing), is not only pleasant reading, but
bears internal marks of painstaking and truthfulness.
It is a model memoir of the life and death of a non-
religious Community ; and would serve for many others,
by changing a few names, as ministers do when they re-
preach old funeral sermons. The moral at the close,
inferring the impracticability of Communism, may prob-
bly be accepted as sound, if restricted to non-religious
experiments. The general career of Owen is sketched
correctly and in rather a masterly manner: and the
interesting fact is brought to light, that the beginning
of the Owen movement in this country was signalized
by a conjunction with Swedenborgianism. The signifi-
cance of this fact will appear more fully, when we come
to the history of the marriage between Fourierism and
60 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS,
Swedenborgianism, which afterwards took place at
Brook Farm.
MEMOIR.
" The narrative here presented," says the unknown
writer, " was prepared at the request of a minister who
had looked in vain for any account of the Communities
established by Robert Owen in this country. It is sim-
ply what it pretends to be, reminiscences by one who,
while a youth, resided with his parents as a member of
the Community at Yellow Springs. For some years
together since his manhood, he has been associated with
several of the leading men of that experiment, and has
through them been informed in relation to both its outer
and inner history. The article may contain some errors,
as of dates and other matters unimportant to a just view
of the Community ; but the social picture will be
correct. With the hope that it may convey a useful
lesson, it is submitted to the reader.
"Robert Owen, the projector of the Communities at
Yellow Springs, Ohio, and New Harmony, Indiana, was
the owner of extensive manufactories at New Lanark,
Scotland. He was a man of considerable learning,
much observation, and full of the love of his fellow
men ; though a disbeliever in Christianity. His skep-
tical views concerning the Bible were fully announced
in the celebrated debate at Cincinnati between himself
and Dr. Alexander Campbell. But whatever may have
been his faith, he proved his philanthropy by a long life
of beneficent works. At his manufactories in Scotland
he established a system based on community of labor,
which was crowned with the happiest effects. But it
should be remembered that Owen himself was the
owner of the worksj and controlled all things by a
YELLOW SPRINGS. 6[
single mind. The system, therefore, was only a benefi-
cent scheme of government by a manufacturer, for the
good of himself and his operatives.
" Full of zeal for the improvement of society, Owen
conceived that he had discovered the cause of most of
its evils in the laws of meum et tuiini ; and that a state
of society where there is nothing mine or thine, would
be a paradise begun. He brooded upon the idea of a
Community of property, and connected it with schemes
for the improvement of society, until he was ready to
sacrifice his own property and devote his heart and his
life to his fellow men upon this basis. Too discreet to
inaugurate the new system among the poorer classes of
his own country, whom he found perverted by prejudice
and warped by the artificial forms of society there, he
resolved to proceed to the United States, and among the
comparatively unperverted people, liberal institutions
and cheap lands of the West, to establish Communities,
founded upon common property, social equality, and the
equal value of every man's labor.
" About the year 1 824 Owen arrived in Cincinnati.
He brought with him a history of his labors at New
Lanark; with glowing and not unjust accounts of the
beneficent effects of his efforts there. He exhibited
plans for his proposed Communities here ; with model
farms, gardens, vineyards, play-grounds, orchards, and
all the internal and external appliances of the social
paradise. At Cincinnati he soon found many congenial
spirits, among the first of whom was Daniel Roe, min-
ister of the " New Jerusalem Church," a .society of the
followers of Swedenborg. This society was composed
of a very superior class of people. They were intelli-
gent, liberal, generous, cultivated men and women —
62 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
many of them wealthy and highly educated. They were
apparently the best possible material to organize and
sustain a Community, such as Owen proposed. Mr Roe
and many of his congregation became fascinated with
Owen and his Communism ; and together with others in
the city and elsewhere, soon organized a Community and
furnished the means for purchasing an appropriate site
for its location. In the meantime Owen proceeded to
Harmony, and, with others, purchased that place, with
all its buildings, vineyards, and lands, from Rapp, who
emigrated to Pennsylvania and established his people at
Economy. It will only be added of Owen, that after
having seen the New Harmonians fairly established, he
returned to Scotland.
" After careful consultation and selection, it was
decided by the Cincinnati Community to purchase a
domain at Yellow Springs, about seventy-five miles
north of the city, [now the site of Antioch College] as
the most eligible place for their purpose. It was really
one of the most delightful regions in the whole West,
and well worthy the residence of a people who had
resolved to make many sacrifices for what they honestly
believed to be a great social and moral reformation.
" The Community, as finally organized consisted of
seventy-five or one hundred families ; and included pro-
fessional men, teachers, merchants, mechanics, farmers,
and a few common laborers. Its economy was nearly as
follows :
" The property was held in trust forever, in behalf of
the members of the Community, by the original pur-
chasers, and their chosen successors, to be designated
from time to time by the voice of the Community. All
additional property thereafter to be acquired, by labor,
YELLOW SPRINGS. 63
purchase, or otherwise, was to be added to the common
stock, for the benefit of each and all. Schools were to
be established, to teach all thina^s useful (except religion).
Opinion upon all subjects was free ; and the present
good of the whole Community was the standard of
morals. The Sabbath was a day of rest and recreation,
to be improved by walks, rides, plays, and pleasing exer-
cises ; and by public lectures. Dancing was instituted
as a most valuable means of physical and social culture ;
and the ten-pin alley and other sources of amusement
were open to all.
" But although Christianity wa.s wholly ignored in the
system, there was no free-loveism or other looseness of
morals allowed. In short, this Community began its
career under the most favorable auspices ; and if any
men and wf)men in the world could have succeeded,
these .should have done so. How they ^//V/ succeed, and
how they did not, will now be shown.
" For the first few weeks, all entered into the new
system with a will. Service was the order of the day.
Men who seldom or never before labored with their
hands, devoted themselves to agriculture and the me-
chanic arts, with a zeal which was at least commendable,
though not always according to knowledge. Ministers
of the gospel guided the plough ; called the swine to
their corn, instead of sinners to repentance ; and let
patience have her perfect work over an unruly yoke of
oxen. Merchants exchanged the yard-stick for the rake
or pitch-fork. All appeared to labor cheerfully for the
common weal. Among the women there was even more
apparent self-sacrifice. Ladies who had seldom seen the
inside of their own kitchens, went into that of the
common eating-house (formerly a hotel), and made
64 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
themselves useful among pots and kettles : and refined
young ladies, who had all their lives been waited upon,
took their turns in waiting upon others at the table.
And several times a week all parties who chose mingled
in the social dance, in the great dining-hall.
But notwithstanding the apparent heartiness and
cordiality of this a:uspicious opening, it was in the social
atmosphere of the Community that the first cloud arose.
Self-love was a spirit which would not be exorcised. It
whispered to the lowly maidens, whose former position
in society had cultivated the spirit of meekness — " You
are as good as the formerly rich and fortunate ; insist
upon your equality." It reminded the favorites of for-
mer society of their lost superiority ; and in spite of all
rules, tinctured their words and actions with the love of
self Similar thoughts and 'feelings soon arose among
the men ; and though not so soon exhibited, they were
none the less deep and strong. It is unnecessary to
descend to details : suffice it to say, that at the end of
three months — tJircc montJis ! — the leading minds in the
Community were compelled to acknowledge to each
other that the social life of the Community could not be
bounded by a single circle. They therefore acquiesced,
but reluctantly, in its division into many little circles.
Still they hoped and many of them no doubt believed,
that though social equality was a failure, community
of property was not. But whether the law of mine
ami thine is natural or incidental in human character, it
soon began to develop its sway. The industrious, the
skillful and the strong, saw the products of their labor
enjoyed by the indolent, the unskilled, and the improvi-
dent ; and self-love rose against benevolence. A band
of musicians insisted that their brassy harmony was as
YELLOW SPRINGS. 65
necessary to the common happiness as bread and meat ;
and declined to enter the harvest field or the work-shop.
A lecturer upon natural science insisted upon talking
only, while others worked. Mechanics, whose day's
labor brought two dollars into the common stock, in-
sisted that they. should, in justice, work only half as long
as the agriculturist, whose day's work brought but one.
"For a while, of course, these jealousies were only
felt ; but they soon began to be spoken also. It was
useless to remind all parties that the common labor of
all ministered to the prosperity of the Community.
Individual happiness was the law of nature, and it
could not be obliterated ; and before a single year had
passed, this law had scattered the members of that
society, which had come together so earnestly and under
such favorable circumstances, back into the selfish world
from which they came.
" The writer of this sketch has since heard the history
of that eventful year reviewed with honesty and earnest-
ness by the best men and most intelligent parties of
that unfortunate social experiment. They admitted
the favorable circumstances which surrounded its com-
mencement ; the intelligence, devotion, and earnestness
which were brought to the cause by its projectors ; and
its final, total failure. And they rested ever after in the
belief that man, though disposed to philanthropy, is
essentially selfish ; and that a community of social
equality and common property is impossible."
66 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER VII.
NASHOBA.
Macdonald erects a magniloquent monument over the
remains of Nashoba, the experiment of Frances Wright.
This woman, little known to the present generation, was
really the spiritual helpmate and better-half of the
Owens, in the socialistic revival of 1826. Our im-
pression is, not only that she was the leading woman
in the communistic movement of that period, but that
she had a very important agency in starting two other
movements, that have had far greater success, and are at
this moment strong in public favor ; viz., Anti-Slavery
and Woman's Rights. If justice were done, we are
confident her name would figure high with those of
Lundy, Garrison, and John Brown on the one hand, and
with those of Abby Kelly, Lucy Stone and Anna
Dickinson on the other. She was indeed the pioneer of
the " strong-minded women." W^e copy the most im-
portant parts of Macdonald's memoir of Nashoba :
"This experiment was made in Shelby Co., Tennessee,
by the celebrated Frances Wright. The objects were, to
form a Community in which the negro slave should be
educated and upraised to a level with the whites, and
thus prepared for freedom ; and to set an example,
which, if carried out, would eventually abolish slavery in
NASHOBA. ^y
the Southern States ; also to make a home for good and
gi-eat men and women of all countries, who might there
sympathize with each other in their love and labor for
humanity. She invited congenial minds from every
quarter of the globe to unite with her in the search for
truth and the pursuit of rational happiness. Herself a
native of Scotland, she became imbued with these phil-
anthropic views through a knowledge of the sufferings
of a great portion of mankind in many countries, and of
the condition of the negro in the United States in
particular.
" She traveled extensively in the Southern States, and
explained her views to many of the planters. It was
during these travels that she visited the German settle-
ment of Rappites at Harmony, on the Wabash river,
and after examining the wonderful industry of that
Community, she was struck with the appropriateness of
their system of cooperation to the carrying out of her
aspirations. She also visited some of the Shaker estab-
lishments then existing in the United States, but she
thought unfavorably of them. She renewed her visits
to the Rappites, and was present on the occasion of
their removal from Harmony to Economy on the Ohio,
where she continued her acquaintance with them, receiv-
ing valuable knowledge from their experience, and, as it
were, witnessing a new village, with its fields, orchards,
gardens, vineyards, flouring-mills and manufactories,
rise out of the earth, beneath the hands of some eight
hundred trained laborers."
Here is another indication of the important part the
Rappites played in the early history of Owenism. As
they cleared the 30,000 acres and built the village which
was the theatre of Owen's great experiment, so it is
68 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
evident from the above account and from other hints,
that their Communistic ideas and manner of living were
systematically studied by the Owen school, before and
after the purchase of New Harmony. Indeed it is
more than intimated in a passage from the New Moral
World quoted in our 5th chapter, that Owen depended
on their assistance in commencing his Community, and
attributed his failure to their premature removal. On
the whole we may conclude that Owen learned all he
really knew about practical Communism, and more than
he was able to imitate, from the Rappites. They learned
Communism from the New Testament and the day of
Pentecost.
" In the autumn of 1825 [when New Harmony was
under full sail in the absence of Mr. Owen], Frances
Wright purchased 2,000 acres of good and pleasant
woodland, lying on both sides of the Wolf river in west
Tennessee, about thirteen miles above Memphis. She
then purchased several negro families, comprising fifteen
able hands, and commenced her practical experiment."
Her plan in brief was, to take slaves in large numbers
from time to time (either by purchase, or by inducing
benevolent planters to donate their negroes to the insti-
tution), and to prepare them for liberty by education,
giving them half of what they produced, and making
them pay their way and purchase their emancipation, if
necessary, by their labor. The working of the negroes
and the general management of the Community was to
be in the hands of the philanthropic and wealthy whites
associated with the lady-founder. The theory was
benevolent ; but practically the institution must have
been a two-story commonwealth, somewhat like the old
Grecian States which founded liberty on Helotism. Or
NASHOBA. 69
we might define it as a Brook Farm plus a negro basis.
The trouble at Brook Farm, according to Hawthorne,
was, that the amateurs who took part in that ' pic-nic,'
did not like to serve as 'chambermaids to the cows.'
This difficulty was provided against at Nashoba.
" We are informed that Frances Wright found in her
new occupation intense and ever-increasing interest.
But ere long she was seized by severe and reiterated
sickness, which compelled her to make a voyage to
Europe for the recovery of her health. ' During her
absence,' says her biographer, 'an intriguing individual
had disorganized every thing on the estate, and effected
the removal of persons of confidence. All her serious
difficulties proceeded from her white assistants, and not
from the blacks.' "
In December of the following year, she made over
the Nashoba estate to a board of trustees, by a deed
commencing thus ;
" I, Frances Wright, do give the lands after specified,
to General Lafayette, William Maclure, Robert Owen,
Cadwallader Golden, Richardson Whitby, Robert Jen-
nings, Robert Dale Owen, George Flower, Camilla
Wright, and James Richardson, to be held by them and
their associates and their successors in perpetual trust
for the benefit of the negro race."
By another deed she gave the slaves of Nashoba to
the before-mentioned trustees : and by still another she
gave them all her personal property.
In her appeal to the public in connection with this
transfer, she explains at length her views of reform, and
her reasons for choosing the aboved-named trustees
instead of the Emancipation or Colonization Societies ;
and in respect to education says : " No difference will
yO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
be made in the schools between the white children and
the children of color, whether in education or any other
advantage.' After further explanation of her plans she
goes on to say:
'" It will be seen that this establishment is founded
on the principle of community of property and labor:
presenting every advantage to those desirous, not of
accumulating money, but of enjoying life arfd rendering
services to their fellow-creatures ; these fellow-creatures,
that is, the blacks here admitted, requiting these services
by services equal or greater, by filling occupations which
their habits render easy, and which, to their guides and
assistants, might be difficult or unpleasing.' [Here is
the ' negro basis.']
" ' No life of idleness, however, is proposed to the
whites. Those who cannot work must give an equiva-
lent in property. Gardening or other cultivation of the
soil, useful trades practiced in the society or taught in
the school, the teaching of every branch of knowledge,
tending the children, and nursing the sick, will present
a choice of employment sufficiently extensive.' "
In the course of another year trouble had come and
disorganization had begun.
" In March, 1828, the trustees published a communi-
cation in the Nashoba Gazette, explaining the difficulties
they had to contend with, and the causes why the
experience of two years had modified the original plan
of Frances Wright. They show the impossibility of a
co-operative Community succeeding without the mem-
bers composing it are superior beings ; ' for,' say they,
'if there be introduced into such a society thoughts of
evil and unkindness, feelings of intolerance and words
of dissension, it can not prosper. That which produces
NASHOBA. 71
in the world only common-place jealousies and every-
day squabbles, is sufificient to destroy a Community.'
" The society had admitted some members to labor,
and others as boarders from whom no labor was
required ; and in this they confess their error, and now
propose to admit those only who possess the funds for
their support.
"The trustees go on to say that 'they desire to
express distinctly that they have deferred, for the
present, the attempt to form a society of co-operative
labor ; and they claim for the association only the title
of a Preliminary Social Community.'
" After describing the moral qualifications of members,
who may be admitted without regard to color, they
propose that each one shall yearly throw $100 into the
common fund for board alone, to be paid quarterly in
advance. Each one was also to build for himself or her-
self a small brick house, with a piazza, according to a
regular plan, and upon a spot of ground selected for the
purpose, near the center of the lands of Nashoba."
This communication is signed by Frances Wright,
Richardson Whitby, Camilla WVight Whitby, and Robert
Dale Owen, as resident trustees, and is dated Feb i, 1828.
" It is probable that success did not further attend the
expenment, for Frances Wright abandoned it soon after,
and in June following removed to New Harmony, where,
in conjunction with William Owen, she assumed for a
short time the management of the Neiv Harmony Gazette,
which then had its name altered to the Nezv Harmony
ajid NasJioba Gazette or Free Enquirer.
" Her biographer says that she abandoned, though not
without a struggle, the peaceful shades of Nashoba,
leaving the property in the charge of an individual, who
72 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
was to hold the negroes ready for removal to Hayti the
year following. In Relinquishing her experiment in favor
of the race, she held herself equally pledged to the col-
ored families under her charge, to the southern state in
which she had been a resident citizen, and to the
American community at large, to remove her dependents
to a country free to their color. This she executed a
year after."
This Communistic experiment and failure was nearly
simultaneous with that of New Harmony, and was the
immediate antecedent of Frances Wright's famous
lecturing-tour. In December 1828 she was raising
whirlwinds of excitement by her eloquence in Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York ; and soon after the Nexv
Harmony Gazette, under the title of TJie Free Enquirer,
was removed to the latter city, where it was ably edited
several years by Frances Wright and Robert Dale
Owen.
73
CHAPTER VIII.
SEVEN EPITAPHS.
We have passed the most notable monuments of the
Owen epoch, and come now to obscurer graves. Doubt-
less many of the little Communities that followed New
Harmony, and in a small way repeated its fortunes, were
buried without memorial. We have on Macdonald's list
the names of only seven more, and their epitaphs are for
the most part very brief. We may as well group them
all in one chapter, and copy what Macdonald says about
them, without comment.
EPITAPH NO. I. CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY, I 825.
" Located at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Founded on
the principles of Robert Owen. Benjamin Bakewell,
President ; John Snyder, Treasurer ; Magnus M. Mur-
ray, Secretary."
EPITAPH NO. II. FRANKLIN COMMUNITY, 1 826.
" Located somewhere in New York. Had a printed
Constitution ; also a ' preparatory school' No further
particulars."
EPITAPH NO. III. BLUE SPRINGS COMMUNITY. 1 826 /.
"A gathering under the above title, existed for a
short time near Bloomington, Ind. It was said [by
74 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
somebody] to be ' harmonious and prosperous' as late as
Jan. I, 1827; but as I find no trace of it in my re-
searches, it is fair to conchide that it is numbered with
the dead, Hke others of its day."
EPITAPH NO. IV. FORRESTVILLE COMMUNITY. (INDIANA.)
" This Society was formed on the i6th day of Decem-
ber, 1825, of four families consisting of thirty-one
persons. March 26, 1826, the constitution was printed.
During the year their number increased to over sixty.
The business was transacted by three trustees, to be
elected annually, together with a secretary and treasurer.
The principles were purely republican. They had no
established religion, the constitution only requiring that
all candidates should be of good moral character, sober
and industrious. They declared that ' a baptist, a math-
odist, a universalist, a quaker, a calvinist, a deist, or any
other isty provided he or she is a genuine good moralist,
are equally privileged and equally esteemed.' They
occupied 325 acres of land, two saw-mills, one grist-mill,
a carding machine, and a tannery, and carried on wagon-
making, shoe-making, blacksmithing, coopering, agri-
culture, &c."
EPITAPH NO. V. HAVERSTRAW COMMUNITY.
"This Society was formed in the year 1826 by a Mr.
Fay (an attorney), Jacob Peterson and George Houston
of New York, and Robert L Ginengs of Philadelphia.
It is probable that it originated in consequence of the
lectures which were at that time delivered by Robert
Owen in this country.
"The principles and objects of the Society, as far as I
can learn, were to better the condition of themselves
EPITAPHS. 75
and their fellowmen, which they conceived could be
done by Hving" in Community, having all things in com-
mon, giving equal rights to each, and abolishing the
terms ' mine and thine.'
" They increased their numbers to eighty persons,
including women and children, and purchased an estate
at Haverstraw, two miles back from the Hudson river,
on the west side, about thirty miles above New York.
There were 1 20 acres of wood land, two mansion houses,
twelve or fourteen out-buildings, one saw-mill, and a
rolling and splitting-mill : and the estate had a noble
stream of water running through it. The property was
owned by a Major Suffrens of Haverstraw, who de-
manded $18,000 for it. On this sum J56,ooo were paid,
and bond and mortgage were given for the I'emainder.
To raise the $6,000 and to defray other expenses, Jacob
Peterson advanced $7,000 ; another individual $300 ;
and others subscribed sums as low as $10. Money,
land, and every thing else were held as common stock
for the equal benefit of all the members.
" Among the members, were persons of various trades
and occupations, such as carpenters, cabinet-makers,
tailors, shoe-makers and farmers. It was the general
opinion that the society, as a whole, possessed a large
amount of intelligence ; and both men and women were
of good moral character. I was acquainted with two or
three persons who were engaged in this enterprise, and
must say I never saw more just and honorable old men
than they were when I knew them.
" It appears that they formed a church among them-
selves, which they denominated Xhc C/inirh of Reasoji ;
and on Sundays they attended meetings, where lectures
were delivered to them on Morals, Philosophy. Agricul-
^6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ture and various scientific subjects. They had no
religious ceremonies or articles of faith.
"They admitted members by ballot. The details of
their rules and regulations were never printed. I have
reason to believe that they had an abundance of laws
and by-laws ; and that they disagreed upon these, as
well as upon other matters.
" While the Community lasted, they were well supplied
with the necessaries of life, and generally speaking their
circumstances were by no means inferior to those they
had left.
" The splitting and rolling mill was not used, but
farming and mechanical operations were carried on ; and
it is supposed (as in many other instances) that if the
officers of the society had acted right, the experiment
would have succeeded ; but by some means the affairs
soon became disorderly, and though so much money had
originally been raised, and assistance was received from
without, yet the experiment came to an end after a strug-
gle of only five months.
" An informant asserts that dishonesty of the man-
agers and want of good measures were the causes of
failure, and expresses himself thus : ' We wanted men
and women of skillful industry, sober and honest, with a
knowledge of themselves, and a disposition to command
and be commanded, and not men and women whose sole
occupation is parade and talk.'
"In this experiment, like many others, several indi-
viduals suffered pecuniary loss. Those who had but a
home, left it for Community, and of course were thrown
back in their progress. Those who had money and in-
vested there, lost it. Jacob Peterson, of New York,
who advanced $'],qoo, never got more than ^300 of it
EPITAPHS. JJ
back, and even that was lost to him through the dis-
honesty of those with whom he did business."
EPITAPH NO. VI. COXSACKIE COMMUNITY.
" This experiment also was commenced in 1 826, and
members from the Haverstraw experiment joined it on
the breaking up of their Society.
" The principal actors in this attempt, were Samuel
Underbill, John Norberry, Nathaniel Underbill, Wm. G.
Macy, Jethro Macy and Jacob Peterson. The objects
were the same as at Haverstraw, but in trying to carry
them out they met with no better success. It appears
that the capital was small, and the estate, which was
located seven miles back from Coxsackie on the Hudson
river, was very much in debt. From the little informa-
tion I am enabled to gather concerning this attempt, I
judge that they made many laws, that their laws were
bad, and that they had many persons engaged in talking
and law-making, who did not work at any useful employ-
ment. The consequences were, that after struggling on
for a little more than a year, thi.s experiment came to an
end. One of my informants thus expresses himself
about this failure : ' There were few good men to steer
things right. We wanted men and women who would
be willing to live in simple habitations, and on plain and
simple diet ; who would be contented with plain and
simple clothing, and who would band together for each
others' good. With such we might have succeeded ;
but such attempts can not succeed without such people.'
" In this little conflict there were many sacrifices ; but
those who survived and were still imbued with the prin-
ciples, emigrated to Ohio, to fight again with the old
system of things."
y8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
EPITAPH NO. VII. KENDAL COMMUNITY.
" This was an attempt to carry out the views of Mr.
Owen. It was located near Canton, Stark County.
Ohio. The purchase of the property was made in June
1826, by a body of freeholders, whose farms were
mortgaged for the first payment, and who, on account
of the difficulty of realizing cash for their estates, were
under some embarrassment in their operations, though
the property was a great bargain."
Of this enterprise in its early stage the WestcTti
Courier (Dec, 1826,) thus speaks :
" The Kendal Community is rapidly on the increase ;
a number of dwellings have been erected in addition to
those previously built ; yet the increase of families has
been such that there is much inconvenience experienced
for want of house-room. The members are now em-
ployed in erecting a building 170 by 33 feet, which is
intended to be temporarily occupied as private dwellings,
but ultimately as work-shops. This and other improve-
ments for the convenience of the place, will soon be
completed.
" Kendal is pleasantly and advantageously situated for
health. We are informed that there is not a sick person
on the premises. Mechanics of various professions
have joined the Community, and are now occupied in
prosecuting the various branches of industry. They
have a woolen factory in which many hands are em-
ployed. Everything appears to be going on prosper-
ously and harmoniously. There is observed a bustling
emulation among the members. They labor hard, and
are probably not exempt from the cares and perplexities
incident to all worldly undertakings ; and what society
EPITAPHS.
79
or system can claim immunity from them ? The ques-
tion is, whether they may not be mitig^ated. Trouble
we believe to be a divisible quantity ; it may be softened
by sympathy and intercourse, as pleasure may be in-
creased by union and companionship. These advantages
have already been experienced at the Kendal Commu-
nity, and its members are even now in possession of
that which the poet hath declared to be the sum total of
human happiness, viz., Health, Peace and Competence."
"Several families from the Coxsackie Community,"
says Macdonald, "had joined Kendal when the above
was written, and the remainder were to follow as soon as
they were prepared. The Kendal Community then
numbered about one hundred and fifty members includ-
ing children. They were engaged in manufacturing
woolen goods on a small scale, had a few hops, and did
considerable business on the farm. They speak of their
' choice spirits ;' and anticipate assistance to carry out
their plans, and prove the success of the social system
beyond all contradiction, by the disposal of property
and settlement of affairs at Coxsackie. In their enthu-
siasm they assert, 'that unaided, and with only their
own resources and experience, and above all, with their
little band of invincible spirits, who are tired of the old
system and are determined to conquer or die, they must
succeed.' I conclude they did not conquer but died, for
I can learn nothing further concerning them."
A retent letter from Mr. John Harmon, of Ravenna,
Ohio, who was a member of the Kendal Community,
gives a more definite account of its failure, as follows :
"Our Community progressed harmoniously and pros-
perously, so long as the members had their health and a
hope of paying for their domain. But a summer-fever
80 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
attacked us, and seven heads of families died, among
whom were several of our most valued and useful
members. At the same time the rich proprietors of
whom we purchased our land urged us to pay ; and we
could not sell a part of it and give a good title, because
we were not incorporated. So we were compelled to
give up and disperse, losing what we had paid, which
was about $7,000. But we formed friendships that were
enduring, and the failure never for a moment weakened
my faith in the value of Communism."
We group the three last Communities together,
because they were evidently closely related by members
passing from one to another, as the earlier ones success-
ively failed. This habit of migrating from one Com-
munity to another is an interesting characteristic of
the veterans of Socialism, which we shall meet with
frequently hereafter.
CHAPTER IX.
OWEN'S GENERAL CAREER.
Confining ourselves strictly to memoirs of Associations,
we might leave Owen now and go on to the experiments
of the Fourier school. But this would hardly be doing
justice to the father of American Socialisms. We have
exhibited his great failure ; and we must stop long
enough to acknowledge his great success, and say briefly
what we think of his whole life and influence. Indeed
such a review is necessary to a just estimate of the
Owen movement in this country.
We accept what he himself said about his early
achievements, that he was under the guidance of the
Spirit of God, and was carried along by a wonderful
series of special providences in his first labors for the
good of the working classes. The originality, wisdom
and success of his doings at New Lanark were mani-
festly supernatural. His factory village was indeed a
light to the world, that gave the nations a great lesson
in practical beneficence ; and shines still amid the dark-
ness of money-making selfishness and industrial misery.
The single fact that he continued the wages of his
operatives when the embargo stopped his business,
actually paying out 1^35,000 in four months, to men who
had nothing to do but to oil his machinery and keep it
82 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
clean, stamps him as a genius of an order higher than
Napoleon. By this bold maneuver of benevolence he
won the confidence of his men, so that he could manage
them afterwards as he pleased ; and then he went on to
reform and educate them, till they became a wonder to
the world and a crown of glory to himself So far we
have no doubt that he walked with inspiration and
special providence.
On the other hand, it is also manifest, that his inspi-
ration and success, so far at least as practical attempts
were concerned, deserted him afterwards, and that much
of the latter part of his life was spent in disastrous
attempts to establish Communism, without the necessary
spiritual conditions. His whole career may be likened
to that of the first Napoleon, whose "star" insured vic-
tory till he reached a certain crisis ; after which he lost
every battle, and sunk into final and overwhelming
defeat.
In both cases there was a turning-point which can be
marked. Napoleon's star deserted him when he put
away Josephine. Owen evidently lost his hold on prac-
tical success when he declared war against religion. In
his labors at New Lanark he was not an active infidel.
The Bible was in his schools. Religion was at least tol-
erated and respected. He there married the daughter of
Mr. Dale, a preacher of the Independents, who was his
best friend and counsellor through the early years of
his success. But when his work at New Lanark be-
came famous, and he rose to companionship with
dukes and kings, he outgrew the modesty and practical
wisdom of his early life, and undertook the task of Uni-
versal Reform. Then it was that he fell into the mistake
of confounding the principles of the Bible with the char-
Owen's career. 83
acter and pretensions of his ecclesiastical opposers, and
so came into the false position of open hostility to
religion. Christ was in a similar temptation when he
found the Scribes and Pharisees arrayed against him,
with the Old Testament for their vantage ground ; but
he had wisdom enough to keep his foothold on that van-
tage ground, and drive them off. His programme was,
" Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the
prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
Whereas Owen, at the turning-point of his career, aband-
oned the Bible with all its magazines of power to his
enemies, and went off into a hopeless warfare with
Christianity and with all God's past administrations.
From that time fortune deserted him. The splendid
success of New La.nark was followed by the terrible
defeat at New Harmony. The declaration of war against
all religion was between them. Such is our interpreta-
tion of his life ; and something like this must have been
his own interpretation, when he confessed in the light of
his later experience, that by overlooking spiritual condi-
tions, he had missed the most important of all the
elements of human improvement.
And yet we must not push our parallel too far.
Owen, unlike Napoleon, never knew when he was
beaten, and fought on thirty years after his Waterloo.
It would be a great mistake to imagine that the failure
of New Harmony and of the attempts that followed it,
was the end of Owen's achievements and influence, even
in this country. Providence does not so waste its
preparations and inspirations. Let us see what was left,
and what Owen did, after the disasters of 1826 — 7.
In the first place the failure of his Community at
New Harmony was not the failure of the village which
84 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
he bought of the Rappites. That was built of substan-
tial brick and stone. The houses and a portion of the
population which he gathered there, remained and have
continued to be a flourishing and rather peculiar village
till the present time. Several Communities that came
over from England in after-years made New Harmony
their rendezvous, either on their arrival or when they
broke up. So Macdonald, with the enthuiasra of a true
Socialist, on landing in this country in 1842 first sought
out New Harmony. There he found Josiah Warren,
the apostle of Individualism, returned from his wander-
ings and failures, to set up a " Time Store " in the old
seat of Socialism. We remember also, that Dr. J. R.
Buchanan, the anthropologist, was at New Harmony in
1842, when he astonished the world with his novel
experiments in Mesmerism, which Robert Dale Owen
reported in a famous letter to the Evefiing Post, and
which gave impetus and respectability to the beginnings
of modern Spiritualism. These facts and many others
indicate that New Harmony continued to be a center
and refuge of Socialists and innovators long after the
failure of the Community. Notwithstanding the un-
popularity of Communism which Macdonald says he
found there, it is probably a semi-socialist village to this
day, representing more or less the spirit of Robert
Owen.
In the next place, with all his failures, Owen was suc-
cessful in producing a fine family ; and though he
himself returned to England after the disaster at New
Harmony, he bequeathed all his children to this country.
Macdonald, writing in 1842, says: "Mr. Owen's family
all reside in New Harmony. There are four sons and
one daughter ; viz., William Owen, who is a merchant
Owen's career. 85
and bank director ; Robert Dale Owen, a lawyer and
politician, who attends to the affairs of the Owen
Estate ; David Dale Owen, a practical geologist ;
Richard Owen, a practical farmer ; and Mrs. Faunt-
leroy. The four brothers, with the wives and families
of three of them, live together in one large mansion,"
Mr. Owen in his published journal says that " his
eldest son Robert Dale Owen, after writing much that
was excellent, was twice elected member of Congress,
and carried the bill for establishing the Smithsonian
Institute in Washington ; that his second son, David
Dale Owen, was professor of chemistry, mineralogy and
geology, and had been employed by successive American
governments as their accredited geologist ; that his
third son. Major Richard Owen, was a professor in a
Kentucky Military College ; and that his only daughter
living in 185 1, was the widow of a distinguished Ameri-
can officer."
Robert Dale Owen undoubtedly has been and is, the
spiritual as well as natural successor of Robert Owen.
Wiser and more moderate than his father, he has risen
out of the wreck of New Harmony to high stations and
great influence in this country. He was originally
associated with Frances Wright in her experiment at
Nashoba, her lecturing career, and her editorial labors in
New York. At that time he partook of the anti-
religious zeal of his father. Opposition to revivals was
the specialty of his paper, the Free Enquirer. In those
days, also, he published his " Moral Physiology," a little
book teaching in plain terms a method of controlling
propagation — not " Male Continence." This bold issue,
attributed by his enemies to licentious proclivities, was
really part of the socialistic movement of the time ; and
86 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
indicated the drift of Owenism toward sexual freedom
and the aboHtion of marriage.
Robert Dale Owen originated and carried the law in
Indiana giving to married women a right to property
separate from their husbands ; and the famous facilities
of divorce in that State are attributed to his influence.
He, like his father, turned toward Spiritualism, not-
withstanding his non-religious antecedents. His report
of Dr. Buchanan's experiments, and his books and
magazine-articles demonstrating the reality of a world
of spirits, have been the most respectable and influential
auxiliaries to the modern system of necromancy. There
is an air of respect for religion in many of his publica-
tions, and even a happy freedom of Bible quotation,
which is not found in his father's writings. Perhaps the
variation is due to the blood of his mother, who was the
daughter of a Bible man and a preacher.
So much Mr. Owen left behind. Let us now follow
him in his after career. He bade farewell to New
Harmony and returned to England in Tune 1828.
Acknowledging no real defeat or loss of confidence in
his principles, he went right on in the labors of his
mission, as Apostle of Communism for the world, hold-
ing himself ready for the most distant service at a
moment's warning. His policy was slightly changed,
looking more toward moving the nations, and less
toward local experiments. In April 1828, he was again
in this country, settling his affairs at New Harmony,
and preaching his gospel among the people. During
this visit the challenge to debate passed between him
and Rev. Alexander Campbell, and an arrangement was
made for a theological duel. He returned to England
in the summer, and in November of the same year
Owen's career. 87
(1828) sailed again for America on a scheme of obtain-
ing from the Mexican government a vast territory in
Texas on which to develop Communism. After finish-
ing the negotiations in Mexico (which negotiations were
never executed), he came to the United States, and in
April 1829 met Alexander Campbell at Cincinnati in a
debate which was then famous, though now forgotten.
From Cincinnati he proceeded to Washington, where he
established intimate relations with Martin Van Buren,
then Secretary of State, and had an important interview
with Andrew Jackson, the President, laboring with these
dignitaries on behalf of national friendship and his new
social system. In the summer of 1829 he returned to
England, and for some years after was engaged in labors
for the conversion of the English government, and in
some local attempts to establish " Equitable Commerce,"
" Labor Exchange" and partial Communism, all of which
failed. Here Mr. Sargant, his English biographer, gives
up the pursuit of him, and slurs over the rest of his life
as though it were passed in obscurity and dotage. Not
so Macdonald. We learn from him that after Mr. Owen
had exceeded the allotment of three-score years and ten,
he twice crossed the ocean to this country. Let us fol-
low the faithful record of the disciple. We condense
from Macdonald:
In September 1844, Mr. Owen arrived in New York
and immediately published in the //(fr^a/^ (Sept. 21) an
address to the people of the United States proclaiming
his mission •' to effect in peace the greatest revolution
ever yet made in human society." Fourierism was at
that time in the ascendant. Mr. Owen called at the
office of the Phalanx, the organ of Brisbane, and was
received with distinction. In October he visited his
88 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
family at New Harmony. On his way he stopped at the
Ohio Phalanx. In December he went to Washington
with Robert Dale Owen, who was then member of
Congress. The party in power was less friendly than
that of 1829, and refused him the use of the National
Halls. He lectured, or advertised to lecture, in Concert
Hall, Pennsylvania Avenue. " In March 1845," says
Macdonald, " I had the pleasure of hearing him lecture at
the Minerva rooms in New York, after which he lectured
in Lowell and other places." In May he visited Brook
Farm. In June he published a manifesto, appointing a
World's Convention, to be held in New, York in
October ; and soon after sailed for England. Stopping
there scarcely long enough to turn round, he was in this
country again in season to give a course of lectures
preparatory to the October Convention. After that
Convention (which Macdonald confesses was a trifling
affair) he continued his labors in various places. On
the 26th of October Macdonald met him on the street in
Albany, and spent some time with him at his lodgings
in much pleasant gossip about New Lanark. In
November he called at Hopedale. Adin Ballou, in a
published report of the visit, dashed off a sketch of him
and his projects, which is so good a likeness that we
copy it here :
" Robert Owen is a remarkable character. In years
nearly seventy-five : in knowledge and experience super-
abundant ; in benevolence of heart transcendental ; in
honesty without disguise ; in philanthropy unlimited ;
in religion a skeptic ; in theology a Pantheist : in meta-
physics a necessarian circumstantialist ; in morals a uni-
versal excusionist ; in general conduct a philosophic
non-resistant ; in socialism a Communist ; in hope a
Owen's career. 89
terrestrial elysianist ; in practical business a methodist ;
in deportment an unequivocal gentleman. * *
" Mr. Owen has vast schemes to develop, and vast
hopes of speedy success in establishing a great model
of the new social state ; which will quite instantan-
eously, as he thinks, bring the human race into a
terrestrial Paradise. He insists on obtaining a million
of dollars to be expended in lands, buildings, machinery,
conveniences and beautifications, for his model Com-
munity ; all to be finished and in perfect order, before
he introduces to their new home the well-selected popu-
lation who are to inhabit it. He Hatters himself he
shall be able, by some means, to induce capitalists, or
perhaps Congress, to furnish the capital for this object.
We were obliged to shake an incredulous head and tell
him frankly how groundless, in our judgment, all such
splendid anticipations must prove. He took it in good
part, and declared his confidence unshaken, and his
hopes undiscourageable by any man's unbelief"
The winter of 1845 — ^ ^r. Owen appears to have
spent in the west, probably at New Harmony. In June
1846, he was again in Albany, and this time for an
important purpose. The Convention appointed to frame
a new Constitution for the State of New York was then
in session. He obtained the use of the Assembly
Chamber and an audience of the delegates ; and gave
them two lectures on " Human Rights and Progress,"
and withal on their own duties. Macdonald was
present, and speaks enthusiastically of his energy and
dignity. After reminding the Convention of the im-
portance of the work they were about, he went on to
say that " all religious systems, Constitutions, Govern-
ments and Laws are and have been founded in error.
90 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and that error is the false supposition that man forms
his own character. They were about to form another
Constitution based upon that error, and ere long more
Constitutions would have to be made and altered, and so
on, until the truth that the character of man is formed
for him shall be recognized, and the system of society
based upon that principle become national and univer-
sal." " After the lecture," says Macdonald, " I lunched
with Mr. Owen at the house of Mr. Ames. We had
conversation on New Harmony, London, &c. Mr.
Ames having expressed a desire for a photograph of
Mr. Owen, I accompanied them to a gallery at the Ex-
change where I parted with him — perhaps forever ! He
returned soon after to England where he remains till
the present time." [1854.]
Six times after he was fifty years old, and twice after
he was seventy, he crossed the Atlantic and back in the
service of Communism ! Let us not say that all this
wonderful activity was useless. Let us not call this
man a driveller and a monomaniac. Let us rather
acknowledge that he was receiving and distributing an
inspiration unknown even to himself, that had a sure
aim, and that is at this moment conquering the world.
His hallucination was not in his expectations, but in his
ideas of methods and times.
Owen had not much theory. His main idea was
Communism, and that he got from the Rappites. His
persistent assertion that man's character is formed for
him by his circumstances, was his nearest approach to
original doctrine ; and this he virtually abandoned when
he came to appreciate spiritual conditions. The rest of
his teaching is summed up in the old injunction, " Be
good," which is the burden of all preaching.
OWENS CAREER. 9I
But theory was not his function. Nor yet even prac-
tice. His business was to seed the world, and especially
this country, with an unquenchable desire and hope for
Communism ; and this he did effectually.
We call him the Father of American Socialisms,
because he took possession of this country first.
Fourierism was a secondary infusion. His Ene^lish
practicality was more in unison with the Yankee spirit,
than the theorizing of the French school. He himself
claimed the Fourierites as working on his job, grading
the track by their half-way schemes of joint-stock and
guaranteeism for his Rational Communism. And in
this he was not far wrong. Communism or nothing, is
likely to be the final demand of the American people.
The most conspicuous trait in all Owen's labors and
journeyings is his indomitable perseverance. And this
trait he transmitted to a large breed of American Social-
ists. Read again the letter of John Harmon at the close
of our last chapter. He is now an old man, but his faith
in Communism remains unshaken ; it is failure-proof
See how the veterans of Haverstraw, when their Com-
munity fell in pieces, moved to Coxsackie, and when the
Coxsackie Community broke up, migrated to Ohio and
joined the Kendal Community ; and perhaps when the
Kendal Community ' failed, they joined another, and
another ; and probably never gave up the hope of a
Community-home. We have met with many such wan-
derers— men and women who were spoiled for the world
by once tasting or at least imagining the sweets af Com-
munism, arid would not be turned back by any number
of failures. Alcander Longley is a fine specimen of this
class. He has tried every kind of Association, from
Co-operation to Communism, including Fourierism and
92 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the nameless combinations of Spiritualism ; and is
now hard at work in the farthest corner of Missouri
on his sixth experiment, as enthusiastic as ever !
J. J. Franks is a still finer specimen. He began with
Owenism. When that failed he enlisted with the
Fourierites. During their campaign he bought five-
thousand acres of land in the mountains of Virginia
for a prospective Association, the Constitution of
which he prepared and printed, though the Associa-
tion itself never came into being. When Fourierism
failed he devoted himself to Protective Unions. For
twenty years past he has been a faithful disciple and
patron of the Oneida Community. In such examples
we trace the image and spirit of Robert Owen.
93
CHAPTER X.
CONNECTING LINKS.
In the transition from Owenism to Fourierism and
later socialist movements, we find that Josiah Warren
fulfills the function of a modulating chord. As we have
already said, after seeing the wreck of Communism at
New Harmony, he went clear over to the extreme doc-
trine of " Individual Sovereignty," and continued work-
ing on that theme through the period of Fourierism, till
he founded the famous village of Modern Times on
Long Island, and there became the master-spirit of a
school, which has developed at least three famous move-
ments, that are in some sense alive yet, long after the
Communities and Phalanxes have gone to their graves.
Imprimis, Dr. Thomas L. Nichols was a fellow of the
royal society of Individual Sovereigns, and an habitue
of Modern Times, when he published his " Esoteric
Anthropology" in 1853, and issued his printed catalogue
of names for the reciprocal use of affinity-hunters all
over the country ; whereby he inaugurated the system
of "Free Love" or Individual Sovereignty in sexual
intercourse, that prevailed among the Spiritualists. He
afterwards fell into a reaction opposite to Warren's,
and swung clear back into Roman Catholicism. But
" though dead, he yet speaketh. "
94 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Secondly, Stephen Pearl Andrews was publishing-
partner of Josiah Warren in the propagandism of
Individual Sovereignty ; and built or undertook to build
a notable edifice at Modern Times, when that village
was in its glory. He subsequently distinguished him-
self by instituting, in connection with Nichols and others,
a series of "Sociables" for the Individual Sovereigns in
New York city, which were broken up by the conserva-
tives. He is also understood to have originated a great
spiritual or intellectual hierarchy, called the " Pantarchy,"
and a system of Universology, which is not yet pub-
lished, but has long been on the eve of organizing
science and revolutionizing the world. On the whole he
may be regarded as the American rival of Comte, as
A. J. Davis is of Swedenborg.
Lastly, Henry Edger, the actual hierarch of Positivism,
one of the ten apostles de propaganda fide appointed by
Comte, was called to his great work from Warren's
school at Modern Times. He is still a resident of that
village, and has attempted within a year or two to form
a Positivist Community there, but without success.
The genealogy from Owen to these modern move-
ments may be traced thus :
Owen begat New Harmony ; New Harmony (by
reaction) begat Individual Sovereignty ; Individual Sov-
ereignty begat Modern Times ; Modern Times was the
mother of Free Love, the Grand Pantarchy, and the
American branch of French Positivism. Josiah Warren
was the personal link next to Owen, and deserves special
notice. Macdonald gives the following account of him :
JOSIAH WARREN.
"This gentleman was one of the members of Mr.
Owen's Community at New Harmony in 1826, and from
CONNECTING LINKS. 95
the experience gained there, he became convinced that
there was an important error in Mr. Owen's principles,
and that error was combination. It was then that he
developed the doctrine of Individual Sovereignty, and
devised the plan of Equitable Commerce, which he
labored on incessantly for many years. He communi-
cated his views on Labor Exchange to Mr. Owen, who
endeavored to practice them in London upon a large
scale, but failed, as Mr Warren asserts, through not
carrying out the principle of Individuality. A similar
attempt was made in Philadelphia, but also failed for the
same cause.
"After the failure of the New Harmony Community,
Mr. Warren went to Cincinnati, and there opened a
Time Store, which continued in operation long enough,
as he says, to demonstrate the truth of his principles.
After this, in association with others, he commenced an
experiment in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio ; but in consequence
of sickness it was abandoned. His next experiment
was at Mount Vernon, Indiana, which was unsuccessful.
After that he opened a Time Store in New Harmony,
which he was carrying on when I became acquainted
with him in 1842.
" The following must suffice as a description of
THE NEW HARMONY TIME STORE.
" A portion of a room was divided oif by a lattice-work,
in which were many racks and shelves containing a
variety of small articles. In the center of this lattice an
opening was left, through which the store-keeper could
hand goods and take pay. On the wall at the back of
the store -keeper and facing the customer, hung a clock,
and underneath it a dial. In other parts of the room
96 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
were various articles, such as molasses, corn, buckets,
dry-goods, etc. There was a board hanging on the wall
conspicuous enough for all persons to see, on which
were placed the bills that had been paid to wholesale
merchants for all the articles in the store ; also the
orders of individuals for various things.
" I entered the store one day, and walking up to the
wicket, requested the store-keeper to serve me with
some glue. I was immediately asked if I had a ' Labor
note', and on my saying no, I was told that I must get
some one's note. My object in going there was to
inquire if Mr. Warren would exchange labor with me ;
but this abrupt reception scared me, and 1 hastily de-
parted. However, upon my becoming further acquainted
with Mr. Warren, we exchaaged labor notes, and I traded
a little at the Time Store in the following manner :
" I made or procured a written labor note, promising
so many hours labor at so much per hour. Mr. Warren
had similar labor notes. I went to the Time Store with
my note and my cash, and informed the keeper that I
wanted, for instance, a few yards of Kentucky jean. As
soon as he commenced conversation or business with
me, he set the dial which was under the clock, and
marked the time. He then attended to me, giving me
what I wanted, and in return taking from me as much
cash as he paid for the article to the wholesale merchant;
and as much time out of my labor note as he spent for
me, according to the dial, in the sale of the article. I
believe five per cent, was added to the cash cost, to pay
rent and cover incidental expenses. The change for the
labor notes was in small tickets representing time by
the five, ten, or fifteen minutes ; so that if I presented a
note representing an hour's labor, and he had been occu-
CONNECTING LINKS. 97
pled only ten minutes in serving me, he would have to
give me forty minutes in change. I have seen Mr.
Warren with a large bundle of these notes, representing
various kinds and quantities of labor, from mechanics
and others in New Harmony and its vicinity. Each
individual who gave a note, affixed his or her own price
per hour for labor. Women charged as high, or nearly
as high, as men ; and sometimes unskillful hands over-
rated their services. I knew an instance where an indi-
vidual issued too many of his notes, and they became
depreciated in value. I was informed that these notes
were refused at the Time Store. It was supposed that
public opinion would regulate these things, and I have
no doubt that in time it would. In this experiment Mr.
Warren said he had demonstrated as much as he in-
tended. But I heard him complain of the difficulties he
had to contend with, and especially of the want of
common honesty.
"The Time Store existed about two years and a half,
and was then discontinued. In 1844 Mr. Warren went
to Cincinnati and lectured upon his principles. On
the breaking up of the Clermont Phalanx and the
Cincinnati Brotherhood, Mr. Warren went to the spot
where both failures had taken place, and there found
four families who were disposed to try ' Equitable Com-
merce.' With these and a few other friends he started
a village which he called Utopia, where he published
the Peaceful Revolutionist for a time.
" His next and last movement was at Modern Times,
on Long Island, a few miles from New York, whither
he came in 185 1."
From a copy of the Peaceful Revolutionist, published
by Warren at Utopia in 1845, we take the first of
98 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the two following extracts. The second, relating to
Modern Times, is from a newspaper article pasted
into Macdonald's collection, without date, but probably
printed in 1853. These will give a sufficient idea of
the reaction from New Harmony, which, on several
important lines of influence, connects Owen with the
present time.
A PEEP INTO UTOPIA.
From an editorial by J. Warren.
" Throughout the whole of our operations at this
village, everything has been conducted so nearly on the
Individual basis, that not one meeting for legislation
has taken place. No organization, no delegated power,
no constitutions, no laws or bye-laws, rules or regu-
lations, but such as each individual makes for himself
and his own business ; no officers, no priests nor
prophets have been resorted to ; nothing of this kind
has been in demand. We have had a few meetings, but
they were for friendly conversation, for music, dancing
or some other social and pleasant pastime. Not even a
single lecture upon the principles upon which we were
acting, has been given on the premises ! It was not
necessary ; for, as a lady remarked, ' the subject once
stated and understood, there is nothing left to talk about ;
all is action after that.'
" I do not mean to be understood that all are of one
mind. On the contrary, in a progressive state there is
no demand for conformity. We build on Individtiality ;
any difference between us confirms our position. Differ-
ences, therefore, like the admissible discords in music,
are a valuable part of our harmony ! It is only when the
rights of persons or property are actually invaded that
CONNECTING LINKS. 99
collisions arise. These rights being clearly defined and
sanctioned by public opinion, and temptations to en-
croachments being withdrawn, we may then consider our
great problem practically solved. With regard to mere
difference of opinion in taste, convenience, economy,
equality, or even right and wrong, good and bad, sanity
and insanity — all must be left to the supreme decision
of each Individual, whenever he can take on himself the
cost of his decisions ; which he cannot do while his
interests or movements are united or combined with
others. It is in combination or close connection only,
that compromise and conformity are required. Peace,
harmony, ease, security, happiness, will be found only in
Individuality. "
A PEEP INTO MODERN TIMES.
Conversation between a Resident and a Reporter.
"We are not Fourierites. We do not believe in
Association. Association will have to answer for very
many of the evils with which mankind are now afflicted.
We are not Communists ; we are not Mormons ; we are
not Non-Resistants. If a man steals my property or in-
jures me, I will take good care to make myself square
with him. We are Protestants, we are Liberals. We
believe in the sovereignty of the individual. We
protest against all laws which interfere with individual
rights — hence we are Protestants. We believe in per-
fect liberty of will and action — hence we are Liberals.
We have no compacts with each other, save the compact
of individual happiness ; and we hold that every man and
every woman has a perfect and inalienable right to do
and perform, all and singular, just exactly as he or she
may choose, now and hereafter. But, gentlemen, this
TOO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
liberty to act must only be exercised at the entire cost of
the individuals so acting. They have no right to tax
the community for the consequences of their deeds."
" Then you go back to nearly the first principles of
government, and acknowledge the necessity of some
controlling power other than individual will ? "
" Not much — not much. In the present depraved
state of society generally, we — few in numbers — are
forced by circumstances into courses of action not pre-
cisely compatible with our principles or with the intent
of our organization, thus: we are a new colony; we
can not produce all which we consume, and many of our
members are forced to go out into the world to earn
what people call money, so that we may purchase our
groceries, &c. We are mostly mechanics — eastern men.
There is not yet a sufficient home demand for our labor
to give constant employment to all. When wc increase
in numerical strength, our tinsmiths and shoemakers and
hatters and artisans of that grade will not only find work
at home, but will manufacture goods for sale. That will
bring us money. We shall establish a Labor Exchange,
so that if my neighbor, the blacksmith, wants my assist-
ance, and I in turn desire his services, there will be a
scale to fix the terms of the exchange."
" But this would disturb Individual Sovereignty."
" I don't see it. No one will be forced to barter his
labor for another's. If parties don't like the terms, they
can make their own. There are three acres of corn
across the way — it is good corn — a good crop — it is
mine. You see that man now at work in the field cut-
ting and stacking it. His work as a farmer is not so
valuable as mine as a mason. We exchange, and it is a
mutual benefit. Corn is just as good a measure of value
CONNECTING LINKS. lOI
as coin. You should read the pamphlet we are getting
out. It will come cheap. Andrews has published an ex-
cellent work on this subject of Individual Sovereignty."
" Have you any schools ? "
" Schools .-* Ah ! we only have a sort of primary affair
for small children. It is supported by individual sub-
scription. Each parent pays his proportion."
" How about women .-'"
"Well, in regard to the ladies, we let them do about
as they please, and they generally please to do about
right. Yes, t/iey like the idea of Individual Sovereignty.
We give them plenty of amusement ; we have social
parties, music, dancing, and other sports. They are not
all Bloomers : they wear such dresses as suit the indi-
vidual taste, provided they can get them I "
"And the breeches sometimes, I suppose .'* "
" Certainly they can wear the breeches if they choose."
" Do you hold to marriage .-• "
" Oh, marriage ! Well, folks ask no questions in
regard to that among us We, or at least some of us,
do not believe in life-partnerships, when the parties can
not live happily. Every person here is supposed to
know his or her own intrests best. We don't mterfere ;
there is no eaves-dropping, or prying behind the curtain.
Those are good members of society, who are industrious
and mind their own business. The individual is sov-
ereign and independent, and all laws tending to restrict
the liberty he or she should enjoy, are founded in error,
and should not be resarded."
102 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XI.
CHANNING'S BROOK FARM.
We are now on the confines of the Fourier movement.
The time-focus changes from 1826 to 1843. As the
period of our history thus approaches the present time,
our resources become more ample and authentic.
Henceforward we shall not confine ourselves so closely
to Macdonald's materials as we have done. The printed
literature of Fourierism is more abundant than that of
Owenism ; and while we shall still follow the catalogue
of Associations which we gave from Macdonald in our
third chapter, and shall appropriate all that is interesting
in his memoirs, we shall also avail ourselves freely of
various publications of the Fourierists themselves. A
full set of their leading periodicals, (probably the only
one in existence) was thrust upon us by the freak of a
half-crazed literary gentleman, nearly at the very time
when we had the good fortune to find Macdonald's col-
lections. We shall hereafter refer most frequently to
the files of The Dial, The Present, The Phalanx, The
Harbinger, and The Tribune.
In order to understand the Fourier movement, we
must look at the preparations for it. This we have
already been doing, in studying Owenism. But there
were other preparations. Owenism was the socialistic
BROOK FARM. IO3
prelude. We must now attend to what may be called
the religious preparations.
Owenism was limited and local, chiefly because it was
thoroughly non-religious and even anti-religious. In
order that Fourierism might sweep the nation, it was
necessary that it should ally itself to some form of popu-
lar religion, and especially that it should penetrate the
strongholds of religious New England.
To prepare for this combination, a differentiation
in the New England church was going on simultan-
eously with the career of Owenism. After the war of
181 5, the division of Congregationalism into Orthodoxy
and Unitarianism, commenced. Excluding from our
minds the doctrinal and ecclesiastical quarrels that
attended this division, it is easy to see that Providence,
which is always on both sides of every fight, aimed at
division of labor in this movement. One party was set
to defend religion ; the other liberty. One stood by the
old faith, like the Jew ; the other went off into free-
thinking and the fine arts, like the Greek. One worked
on regeneration of the heart ; the other on culture of
the external life. In short, one had for its function the
carrying through of the Revival system ; the other the
development of Socialism.
The royal men of these two " houses of Israel" were
Dr. Beecher and Dr. Channing ; and both left royal
families, direct or collateral. The Beechers are leading
the Orthodox to this day ; and the Channings, the Uni-
tarians. We all know what Dr. Beecher and his children
have done for revivals. He was the pivotal man between
Nettleton and Finney in the last generation, and his
children are the standard-bearers of revival religion in
the present. What the Channings have done for Social-
I04 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ism is not so well known, and this is what we must now
bring to view.
First and chief of all the experiments of the Fourier
epoch was Brook Farm. And yet Brook Farm in its
original conception, was not a Fourier formation at all,
but an American seedling. It was the child of New
England Unitarianism. Dr. Channing himself was the
suggester of it. So says Ralph Waldo Emerson. As this
is an interesting point of history, we have culled from a
newspaper report of Mr. Emerson's lecture on Brook
Farm, the following summary, from which it appears
that Dr. Channing was the pivotal man between old-
fashioned Unitarianism and Transcendentalism, and
the father of TJie Dial and of Brook Farm :
Emerson's reminiscences of brook farm.
" In the year 1840 Dr. Channing took counsel with
Mr. George Ripley on the point if it were possible to
bring cultivated, thoughtful people together, and make a
society that deserved the name. He early talked with
Dr. John Collins Warren on the same thing, who admit-
ted the wisdom of the purpose, and undertook to make
the experiment. Dr. Channing repaired to his house
with these thoughts ; he found a well chosen assembly
of gentlemen ; mutual greetings and introductions and
chattings all around, and he was in the way of intro-
ducing the general purpose of the conversation, when a
side-door opened, the whole company streamed in to an
oyster supper with good wines, and so ended that
attempt in Boston. Channing opened his mind then to
Ripley, and invited a large party of ladies and gentle-
men. I had the honor to be present. No important
consequences of the attempt followed. Margaret Fuller,
BROOK FARM. IO5
Ripley, Bronson and Hedge, and many others, gradually
came together, but only in the way of students. But I
think there prevailed at that time a general belief in the
city that this was some concert of doctrinaires to estab-
lish certain opinions, or to inaugurate some movement
in literature, philosophy, or religion, but of which these
conspirators were quite innocent. It was no concert,
but only two or three men and women, who read alone
with some vivacity. Perhaps all of them were surprised
at the rumor that they were a school or sect, but more
especially at the name of ' Transcendentalism.' Nobody
knows who first applied the name. These persons be-
came in the common chance of society acquainted with
each other, and the result was a strong friendship,
exclusive in proportion to its heat. * * *
" From that time, meetings were held with conversa-
tion— with very little form — from house to house. Yet
the intelligent character and varied ability of the
company gave it some notoriety, and perhaps awakened
some curiosity as to its aims and results. But nothing
more serious came of it for a long time. A modest
quarterly journal called The Dial, under the editorship
of Margaret Fuller, enjoyed its obscurity for four years,
when it ended. Its papers were the contributions and
work of friendship among a narrow circle of writers
Perhaps its writers were also its chief readers. But it
had some noble papers ; perhaps the best of Margaret
Fuller's. It had some numbers highly important, be-
cause they contained papers by Theodore Parker. * *
" I said the only result of the conversations which
Dr. Channing had was to initiate the little quarterly
called The Dial ; but they had a further consequence in
the creation of the society called the " Brook Farm" in
I06 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
1 84 1. Many of these persons who had compared their
notes around in the libraries of each other upon specu-
lative matters, became impatient of speculation, and
wished to put it into practice. Mr. George Ripley,
with some of his associates, established a society, of
which the principle was, that the members should be
stockholders, and that while some deposited money others
should be allowed to give their labor in different kinds
as an equivalent for money. It contained very many
interesting and agreeable persons. Mr. Curtis of New
York, and his brother of English Oxford, were members
of the family ; from the first also was Theodore Parker ;
Mr. Morton of Plymouth — engaged in the fisheries —
eccentric ; he built a house upon the farm, and he and
his family continued in it till the end; Margaret Fuller,
with her joyous conversations and sympathies. Many
persons gave character and attractiveness to the place.
The farm consisted of 200 acres, and occupied some
spot near Reedville camp of later years. In and around
it, whether as members, boarders, or visitors, were
remarkable persons for character, intellect and accom-
plishments. * * * The Rev. Wm. H. Channing,
now of London, student of Socialism in France and
England, was a frequent sojourner here, and in perfect
sympathy with the experiment. * * *
" Brook Farm existed six or seven years, when the
society broke up and the farm was sold, and all parties
came out with a loss ; some had spent on it the accumu-
lations of years. At the moment all regarded it as a
failure ; but I do not think that all so regard it now,
but probably as an important chapter in their experi-
ence, which has been of life-long value. What knowledge
has it not afforded them ! What personal power which
BROOK FARM. 10/
the Studies of character have given : what accumulated
culture many members owe to it ; what mutual pleasure
they took of each other ! A close union like that in a
ship's cabin, of persons in various conditions ; clergymen,
young collegians, merchants, mechanics, farmers' sons
and daughters, with men of rare opportunities and
culture."
Mr. Emerson's lecture is doubtless reliable on the
main point for which we quote from it — the Unitariar
and Channing-arian origin of Brook Farm — but certainly
supfiercial in its view of the substantial character and
final purpose of that Community. Brook Farm, though
American and Unitarian in its origin, became after-
ward the chief representative and propagative organ of
Fourierism, as we shall ultimately show. The very
blossom of the experiment, by which it seeded the nation
and perpetuated its species, was its periodical, TJie Har-
binger, and this belonged entirely to the Fourieristic
period of its career. Emerson dilates on TJie Dial, but
does not allude to The Harbinger. In thus ignoring the
public function by which Brook Farm was signally
related to the great socialistic revival of 1843, and to the
whole of American Socialism, Emerson misses what we
conceive to be the main significance of the experiment,
and indeed of Unitarianism itself
And here we may say, in passing, that this brilliant
Community has a right to complain that its story should
have to be told by aliens. Emerson, who was not a
member of it, nor in sympathy with the socialistic move-
ment to which it abandoned itself, has volunteered a
lecture of reminiscences ; and Hawthorne, who joined
it only to jilt it, has given the world a poetico-sneering
romance about it ; and that is all the first-hand informa-
I08 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
tion we have, except what can be gleaned from obsolete
periodicals. George William Curtis, though he was
a member, coolly exclamis in Harpers Magazine :
" Strangely enough, Hawthorne is likely to be the chief
future authority upon ' the romantic episode ' of Brook
Farm. Those who had it at heart more than he, whose
faith and energy were all devoted to its development, and
many of whom have every ability to make a permanent
record, have never done so, and it is already so much a
thing of the past, that it will probably never be done."
In the name of history we ask, Why has not
George William Curtis himself made the permanent
record .'' Why has not George Ripley taken the story
out of the mouths of the sneerers t Brook Farm might
tell its own story through him, for he ivas Brook F'arm.
It was George Ripley who took into his heart the
inspiration of Dr. Channing, and went to work like a
hero to make a fact of it ; while Emerson stood by
smiling incredulity. It was Ripley who put on his frock
and carted manure, and set Hawthorne shoveling, and
did his best for years to keep work going, that the
Community might pay as well as play. It was no
" picnic " or " romantic episode " or chance meeting "in
a ship's cabin " to him. His whole soul was bent on
making a home of it. If a man's first-born, in whom his
heart is bound up, dies at six years old, that does not
turn the whole affair into a joke. There were others of
the same spirit, but Ripley was the center of them.
Brook Farm came very near being a religions Commu-
nity. It inherited the spirit of Dr. Channing and ol
Transcendentalism. The inspiration in the midst of
which it was born, was intensely literary, but also
religious. The Brook Farmers refer to it as the " revi-
BROOK FARM. IO9
val," the " newness',' the " renaissance" There was
evidently an afflatus on the men, and they wrote and
acted as they were moved. TJie Dial was the original
organ of this afflatus, and contains many articles that are
edifying to Christians of good digestion. It was pub-
lished quarterly, and the four volumes of it (sixteen
numbers) extended from July 1840 to April 1844.
The first notice we find of Brook Farm is in connec-
tion with an article in the second volume of The Dial
(Oct. 1 841), entitled, 'M Glimpse of Chris fs Idea of
Society." The writer of this most devout essay was
Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody, then and since a dis-
tinguished literary lady. She was evidently in full
sympathy with the " newness" out of which Krook Farm
issued. Margaret Fuller, one of the constituents of
Brook Farm, was editress of The Dial, and thus
sanctioned the essay. Its reference to Brook Farm is
avowed in a note at the end, and in a subsequent article.
The following extracts give us
THE ORIGINAL IDEAL OF BROOK FARM.
[From The Diah Oct. 1841.]
"While we acknowledge the natural growth, the good
design, and the noble effects of the apostolic church,
and wish we had it, in place of our own more formal
ones, we should not do so small justice to the divine
soul of Jesus of Nazareth, as to admit that it was a
main purpose of his to found it, or that when it was
founded it realized his idea of human society. Indeed
we probably do injustice to the apostles themselves, in
supposing that they considered their churches anything
more than initiatory. Their language implies that they
looked forward to a time when the uttermost parts of
no AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the earth should be inherited by their beloved master ;
and beyond this, when even the name, which is still
above every name, should be lost in the glory of the
Father, who is to be all in all.
" Some persons, indeed, refer all this sort of language
to another world ; but this is gratuitously done. Both
Jesus and the apostles speak of life as the same in both
worlds. For themselves individually they could not but
speak principally of another world ; but they imply no
more than that death is an accident, which would not
prevent, but hasten the enjoyment of that divine life,
which they were laboring to make possible to all men,
in time as well as in eternity. * * *
"The Kingdom of Heaven, as it lay in the clear spirit
of Jesus of Nazareth, is rising again upon vision. Nay,
this Kingdom begins to be seen not only in religious
ecstasy, in moral vision, but in the light of common
sense, and the human understanding. Social science
begins to verify the prophecy of poetry. The time has
come when men ask themselves what Jesus meant when
he said, ' Inasmuch as ye have not done it unto the
least of these little ones, ye have not done it unto me.'
" No sooner is it surmised that the Kingdom of
Heaven and the Christian Church are the same thing,
and that this thing is not an association outside of
society, but a reorganization of society itself, on those
very principles of love to God and love to man, which
Jesus Christ realized in his own daily life, than we per-
ceive the day of judgment for society is come, and all
the words of Christ are so many trumpets of doom.
For before the judgment-seat of his sayings, how do our
governments, our trades, our etiquettes, even our benev-
olent institutions and churches look } What church in
BROOK FARM. I I I
Christendom, that numbers among its members a pau-
per or a negro, may stand the. thunder of that one word,
' Inasmuch as ye have not done it to the least of these
Httle ones, ye have not done it unto me ?' And yet the
church of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven, has not
come upon earth, according to our daily prayer, unless
not only every church, but every trade, every form of
social intercourse, every institution political or other,
can abide this test. * * *
" One would think from the tone of conservatives,
that Jesus accepted the society around him, as an
adequate framework for individual development into
beauty and life, instead of calling his disciples ' out of
the world.' We maintain, on the other hand, that Christ
desired to reorganize society, and went to a depth of
principle and a magnificence of plan for this end, which
has never been appreciated, except here and there, by
an individual, still less been carried out. * * *
" There are men and women, who have dared to say
to one another, Why not have our daily life organized
on Christ's own idea.'' Why not begin to move the
mountain of custom and convention .■' Perhaps Jesus's
method of thought and life is the Savior — is Christ-
ianity ! For each man to think and live on this method
is perhaps the Second Coming of Christ. To do unto the
little ones as we would do unto ///;//, would be perhaps
the reign of the Saints — the Kingdom of Heaven. We
have hitherto heard of Christ by the hearing of the
ear ; now let us see him, let us be him, and see what
will come of that. Let us communicate with each other
and live. * * *
"There have been some plans and experiments of
Community attempted in this country, which, like those
112 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
elsewhere, are interesting chiefly as indicating paths in
which we should not go. Some have failed because their
philosophy of human nature was inadequate, and their
establishments did not regard man as he is, with all the
elements of devil and angel within his actual constitu-
tion. Brisbane has made a plan worthy of study in some
of its features, but erring in the same manner. He does
not go down into a sufficient spiritual depth, to lay
foundations which may support his superstructure. Our
imagination before we reflect, no less than our reason
after reflection, rebels against this attempt to circumvent
moral freedom, and imprison it in his Phalanx. * *
" The church of Christ's Idea, world-embracing, can
be founded on nothing short of faith in the universal
man, as he cbmes out of the hands of the Creator, with
no law over his liberty, but the Eternal Ideas that lie at
the foundation of his Being. Are you a man } This is
the only question that is to be asked of a member of
human society. And the enounced laws of that society
should be an elastic medium of these Ideas ; providing
for their everlasting unfolding into new forms of influ-
ence, so that the man of time should be the growth of
eternity, consciously and manifestly.
" To form such a society as this is a great problem,
whose perfect solution will take all the ages of time ; but
let the Spirit of God move freely over the great deep of
social existence, and a creative light will come at his
word ; and after that long evening in which we are
living, the morning of the first day shall dawn on a
Christian society. * * *
" N. B. A Postscript to this Essay, giving an account
of a specific attempt to realize its principles, will appear
in the next number."
BROOK FARM. II3
Thus, according to this writer, Brook Farm, in its
inception, was an effort to establish the kingdom of God
on earth ; that kingdom in which " the will of God shall
be done as it is done in heaven ; " a higher state than
that of the apostolic church ; worthy even to be called
the Second Coming of Christ, and the beginning of the
day of judgment ! A high religious aim, surely ! and
much like that proposed by the Shakers and other suc-
cessful Communities, that have the reputation of being
fanatical.
The reader will notice that Miss Peabody, on behalf
of Brook Farm, disclaims Fourierism, which was then
just beginning to be heard of through Brisbane's Social
Destiny of Man, first published in 1840.
In the next number of TJic Dial Miss Peabody ful-
fills her promise of information about Brook Farm, in
an article entitled, " Plan of the West Roxbury Com-
mnnity." Some extracts will give an idea of the first
tottering steps of the infant enterprise :
THE ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION OY BROOK FARM.
[From T/ie Dial, Jan. 1842.]
" In the last number of The Dial, were -some remarks,
under the perhaps ambitious title of, 'A Glimpse of
Christ's Idea of Society;' in a note to which it was
intimated, that in this number would be given an
account of an attempt to realize in some degree this
great Ideal, by a little company in the midst of us, as
yet without name or visible existence. The attempt is
made on a very small scale. A few individuals, who,
unknown to each other, under different disciplines of
life, reacting from dift'erent social evils, but aiming at
114 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the same object, — of being wholly true to their natures
as men and women — have been made acquainted with
one another, and have determined to become the Fac-
ulty of the Embryo University.
" In order to live a religious and moral life worthy the
name, they feel it is necessary to come out in some
degree from the world, and to form themselves into a
community of property, so far as to exclude competition
and the ordinary rules of trade ; while they reserve
sufficient private property, or the means of obtaining it,
for all purposes of independence, and isolation at will.
They have bought a farm, in order to make agri-
culture the basis of their life, it being the most direct
and simple in relation to nature. A true life, although
it aims beyond the highest star, is redolent of the
healthy earth. The perfume of clover lingers about it.
The lowing of cattle is the natural bass to the melody
of human voices. [Here we have the old farming
hobby of the socialists.] * * *
"The plan of the Community, as an economy, is in
brief this : for all who have property to take stock, and
receive a fixed interest thereon : then to keep house or
board in commons, as they shall severally desire, at the
cost of provisions purchased at wholesale, or raised on
the farm ; and for all to labor in community, and be
paid at a certain rate an hour, choosing their own
number of hours, and their own kind of work. With the
results of this labor and their interest, they are to pay
their board, and also purchase whatever else they require
at cost, at the warehouses of the Community, which are
to be filled by the Community as such. To perfect this
economy, in the course of time they must have all
trades and all modes of business carried on among them-
BROOK FARM. II5
selves, from the lowest mechanical trade, which con-
tributes to the health and comfort of life, to the finest
art, which adorns it with food or drapery for the mind.
"All labor, whether bodily or intellectual, is to be paid
at the same rate of wages ; on the principle that as the
labor becomes merely bodily, it is a greater sacrifice to
the individual laborer to give his time to it ; because
time is desirable for the cultivation of the intellectual,
in exact proportion to ignorance. Besides, intellectual
labor involves in itself higher pleasures, and is more
its own reward, than bodily labor. * * *
" After becoming members of this Community, none
will be engaged merely in bodily labor. The hours of
labor for the Association will be limited by a general
law, and can be curtailed at the will of the individual
still more ; and means will be given to all for intellect-
ual improvement and for social intercourse, calculated to
refine and expand. The hours redeemed from labor by
community, will not be re-applied to the acquisition of
wealth, but to the production of intellectual goods.
This Community aims to be rich, not in the metallic
representative of wealth, but in the wealth itself, which
money should represent ; namely, leisure to live in
ALL THE FACULTIES OF THE SOUL. As a Community,
it will traffic with the world at large, in the products of
agricultural labor ; and it will sell education to as many
young persons as can be domesticated in the families,
and enter into the common life with their own children.
In the end it hopes to be enabled to provide, not only
all the necessaries, but all the elegances desirable for
bodily and for spiritual health : books, apparatus, collec-
tions for science, works of art, means of beautiful
amusement. These things are to be common to all ;
Il6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and thus that object, which alone gilds and refines the
passion for individual accumulation, will no longer exist
for desire, and whenever the sordid passion appears, it
will be seen in its naked selfishness. In its ultimate
success, the Community will realize all the ends which
selfishness seeks, but involved in spiritual blessings,
which only greatness of soul can aspire after.
"And the requisitions on the individuals, it is be-
lieved, will make this the order forever. The spiritual
good will always be the condition of the temporal.
Every one must labor for the Community in a reason-
able degree, or not taste its benefits. * * *
Whoever is willing to receive from his fellow men that
for which he gives no equivalent, will stay away from
its precincts forever. But whoever shall surrender him-
self to its principles, shall find that its yoke is easy and
its burden light. Everything can be said of it, in a
degree, which Christ said of his kingdom, and therefore
it is believed that in some measure it does embody his
idea. For its gate of entrance is strait and narrov/. It
is literally a pearl hidden in a field. Those only who are
willing to lose their life for its sake shall find it. Its
voice is that which sent the young man sorrowing away :
' Go sell all thy goods and give to the poor, and then
come and follow me.' 'Seek first the kingdom of
Heaven and its righteousness, and all other things shall
be added to you.' * * *
"There may be some persons at a distance, who will
ask, To what degree has this Community gone into
operation .'' We can not answer this with precision, but
we have a right to say that it has purchased the farm
which some of its members cultivated for a year with
success, by way of trying their love and skill for agricul-
BROOK FARM. II7
tural labor ; that in the only house they are as yet rich
enough to own, is collected a large family, including
several boarding scholars, and that all work and study
together. They seem to be glad to know of all who
desire to join them in the spirit, that at any moment,
when they are able to enlarge their habitations, they
may call together those that belong to them. "
Thus far it is evident that Brook Farm was not a
Fourier formation. Whether the beginnings of the
excitement about Fourierism may not have secretly
affected Dr. Channing and the Transcendentalists, we
can not say. Brisbane's first publication and Dr.
Channing's first suggestion of a Community (according
to Emerson) took place in the same year — 1840. But
Brook Farm, as reported by Miss Peabody, up to
January 1842 had nothing to do with Fourierism, but
was an original Yankee attempt .to embody Christianity
as understood by Unitarians and Transcendentalists ;
having a constitution (written or unwritten) invented
perhaps by Ripley, or suggested by the collective wis-
dom of the associates. Without any great scientific
theory, it started as other Yankee experiments have
done, with the purpose of feeling its way toward co-
operation, by the light of experience and common sense ;
beginning cautiously, as was proper, with the general
plan of joint-stock ; but calling itself a Community, and
evidently bewitched with the idea which is the essential
charm of all Socialisms, that it is possible to combine
many families into one great home. Moreover thus far
there was no " advertising for a wife," no gathering by
public proclamation. The two conditions of success
which we named as primary in a previous chapter, viz.,
Il8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
religious principle and previous acquaintance, were appa-
rently secured. The nucleus was small in number, and
well knit together by mutual acquaintance and spiritual
sympathy. In all this, Brook Farm was the opposite of
New Harmony.
If we take Rev. William H. Channing, nephew and
successor of Dr. Channing, as the exponent of Brook
Farm — which we may safely do, since Emerson says he
was " a frequent sojourner there, and in perfect sym-
pathy with the experiment " — we have evidence that the
Community had not fallen into the ranks of Fourierism
at a considerably later period. On the 15 th of Septem-
ber 1843, Mr. Channing commenced publishing in New
York a monthly Magazine called The Present, the main
object of which was nearly the same as that of The
Dial, viz., the discussion of religious Socialism, as
understood at Brook Farm and among the Transcenden-
talists ; and in his third number (Nov. 15) he used
language concerning Fourier, which The Phalanx, Bris-
bane's organ (then also just commencing), criticised as
disrespectful and painfully offensive.
From this indication, slight as it is, we may safely
conclude that the amalgamation of Brook Farm and
Fourierism had not taken place up to November 1843,
which was more than two years after Miss Peabody's
announcement of the birth of the Community. So far
Brook Farm was American and religious, and stood
related to the Fourier revival only as a preparation. So
far it was Channing s Brook Farm. Its story after it
became Fourier s Brook Farm will be reserved for the
end of our history of Fourierism.
119
CHAPTER XII.
HOPEDALE.
This Community was another anticipation of Fourier-
ism, put forth by Massachusetts. It was similar in
many respects to Brook Farm, and in its origin nearly
contemporaneous. It was intensely religious in its
ideal. As Brook Farm was the blossom of Unitarian-
ism, so Hopedale was the blossom of Universalism.
Rev. Adin Ballou, the founder, was a relative of the
Rev. Hosea Ballou, and thus a scion of the royal
family of the Universalists. Milford, the site of the
Community, was the scene of Dr. Whittemore's first
ministerial labors.
Hopedale held on its way through the Fourier revi-
val, solitary and independent, and consequently never
attained so much public distinction as Brook Farm and
other Associations that affiliated themselves to Fourier-
ism ; but considered by itself as a Yankee attempt to
solve the socialistic problem, it deserves more attention
than any of them. Our judgment of it, after some
study, may be summed up thus : As it came nearest to
being a religious community, so it commenced earlier,
lasted longer, and was really more scientific and sen-
sible than any of the other experiments of the Fourier
epoch.
120 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Brook Farm was talked about in 1840, but we find
no evidence of its organization till the fall of 1841.
Whereas Mr. Ballou's Community dates its first com-
pact from January 1841 ; though it did not commence
operations at Hopedale till April 1842.
The North American Phalanx is reputed to have out-
lived all the other Associations of the Fourier epoch ;
but we find, on close examination of dates, that Hopedale
not only was born before it, but lived after it. The
North American commenced in 1843, and dissolved in
1855. Hopedale commenced in 1841, and lasted cer-
tainly till 1856 or 1857. Ballou published an elaborate
exposition of it in the winter of 1854 — 5, and at that
time Hopedale was at its highest point of success and
promise. We can not find the exact date of its disso-
lution, but it is reported to have attained its seventeenth
year, which would carry it to 1858. Indeed it is said
there is a shell of an organization there now, which has
continued from the Community, having a President,
Secretary, &c., and holding occasional meetings ; but its
principal function at present is the care of the village
cemetery.
As to the theory and constitutional merits of the
Hopedale Community, the reader shall judge for himself
Here is an exposition published in tract form by Mr.
Ballou in 1851, outlining the scheme which was fully
elaborated in his subsequent book :
" The Hopedale Community, originally called Fraternal
Community, No. i, was formed at Mendon, Massachu-
setts, January 28, 1841, 'by about thirty individuals from
different parts of the State. In the course of that year
they purchased what was called the 'Jones Farm,' alias
HOPEDALE. 121
* The Dale, ' in Milford. This estate they named
HoPEDALE — joining the word ' Hope ' to its ancient
designation, as significant of the great things they
hoped for from a very humble and unpropitious begin-
ning. About the first of April 1842, a part of the
members took possession of their farm and commenced
operations under as many disadvantages as can well be
imagined. Their present domain (December i, 1851),
including all the lands purchased at different times, con-
tains about 500 acres. Their village consists of about
thirty new dwelling-houses, three mechanic shops, with
water-power, carpentering and other machinery, a small
chapel, used also for the purposes of education, and the
old domicile, with the barns and out-buildings much
improved. There are now at Hopedale some thirty-six
families, besides single persons, youth and children,
making in all a population of about 175 souls.
" It is often asked. What are the peculiarities, and
what the advantages of the Hopedale Community .'' Its
leading peculiarities are the following :
"I. It is a church of Christ (so far as any human
organization of professed Christians, within a particular
locality, have the right to claim that title), based on a
simple declaration of faith in the religion of Jesus Christ,
as he taught and exemplified it, according to the scrip-
tures of the New Testament, and of acknowledged
subjection to all the moral obligations of that religion.
No person can be a member, who does not cordially
assent to this comprehensive declaration. Having
given sufficient evidence of truthfulness in making such
a profession, each individual is left to judge for him or
herself, with entire freedom, what abstract doctrines are
taught, and also what external religious rites are enjoined
122 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
in the religion of Christ. No precise theological dogmas,
ordinances or ceremonies are prescribed or prohibited.
In such matters all the members are free, with mutual
love and toleration, to follow their own highest convic-
tions of truth and religious duty, answerable only to
the great Head of the true Church Universal. But in
practical Christianity this church is precise and strict.
There its essentials are specific. It insists on supreme
love to God and man — that love which 'worketh no ill'
to friend or foe. It enjoins total abstinence from all
God-contemning words and deeds ; all unchastity ; all
intoxicating beverages ; all oath-taking ; all slave-holding
and pro-slavery compromises ; all war and preparations
for war ; all capital and other vindictive punishments ;
all insurrectionary, seditious, mobocratic and personal
violence against any government, society, family or
individual ; all voluntary participation in any anti-
Christian government, under promise of unqualified
support — whether by doing military service, commenc-
ing actions at law, holding office, voting, petitioning for
penal laws, aiding a legal posse by injurious force, or
asking public interference for protection which can be
given only by such force ; all resistance of evil with evil ;
in fine, from all things known to be sinful against God
or human nature. This is its acknowledged obligatory
righteousness. It does not expect immediate and exact
perfection of its members, but holds up this practical
Christian standard, that all may do their utmost to
reach it, and at least be made sensible of their short-
comings. Such are the peculiarities of the Hopedale
Community as a church.
"2. It is a Civil State, a miniature Christian Republic,
existing within, peaceably subject to, and tolerated by
HOPEDALE. 123
the governments of Massachusetts and the United
States, but otherwise a commonwealth complete within
itself. Those governments tax and control its property,
according to their own laws, returning less to it than
they exact from it. It makes them no criminals to pun-
ish, no disorders to repress, no paupers to support, no
burdens to bear. It asks of them no corporate powers,
no military or penal protection. It has its own Con-
stitution, laws, regulations and municipal police ; its
own Legislative, Judiciary and Executive authorities ;
its -own educational system of operations ; its own
methods of aid and relief; its own moral and religious
safeguards ; its own fire insurance and savings institu-
tions ; its own internal arrangements for the holding of
property, the management of industry, and the raising
of revenue ; in fact, all the elements and organic con-
stituents of a Christian Republic, on a miniature scale.
There is no Red Republicanism in it, because it eschews
blood ; yet it is the seedling of the true Democratic and
Social Republic, wherein neither caste, color, sex nor
age stands proscribed, but every human being shares
justly in ' Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.' Such is
The Hopedale Community as a Civil State.
"3. It is a universal religious, moral, philanthropic, and
social reform Association. It is a Missionary Society,
for the promulgation of New Testament Christianity,
the reformation of the nominal church, and the conver-
sion of the world. It is a moral suasion Temperance
Society on the teetotal basis. It is a moral power
Anti-Slavery Society, radical and without compromise.
It is a Peace Society on the only impregnable foundation
of Christian non-resistance. It is a sound theoretical
and practical Woman's Rights Association. It is a
124 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Charitable Society for the rehef of suffering humanity,
to the extent of its humble abiUty. It is an Educational
Society, preparing to act an important part in the train-
ing of the young. It is a socialistic Community,
successfully actualizing, as- well as promulgating,
practical Christian Socialism — the only kind of Social-
ism likely to establish a true social state on earth. The
members of this Community are not under the necessity
of importing from abroad any of these valuable reforms,
or of keeping up a distinct organization for each of them,
or of transporting themselves to other places in search
of sympathizers. Their own Newcastle can furnish coal
for home-consumption, and some to supply the wants of
its neighbors. Such is the Hopedale Community as a
Universal Reform Association on Christian principles.
" What are its Advantages ?
"I. It affords a theoretical and practical illustration of
the way whereby all human beings, willing to adopt it,
may become individually and socially happy. It clearly
sets forth the principles to be received, the righteous-
ness to be exemplified, and the social arrangements to
be entered into, in order to this happiness. It is in
itself a capital school for self-correction and improve-
ment. No where else on earth is there a more explicit,
understandable, practicable system of ways and means
for those who really desire to enter into usefulness,
peace and rational enjoyment. This will one day be
seen and acknowledged by multitudes who now know
nothing of it, or knowing, despise it, or conceding its
excellence, are unwilling to bow to its wholesome requi-
sitions. ' Yet the willing and the obedient shall eat the
good of the land.'
" 2. It guarantees to all its members and dependents
HOPEDALE. 125
employment, at least adequate to a comfortable subsist-
ence ; relief in want, sickness or distress ; decent
opportunities for religious, moral and intellectual
culture ; an orderly, well regulated neighborhood ;
fraternal counsel, fellowship and protection under all
circumstances ; and a suitable sphere of individual
enterprise and responsibility, in which each one may, by
due self-exertion, elevate himself to the highest point of
his capabilities.
" 3. It solves the problem which has so long puzzled
Socialists, the harmonization of just individual freedom
with social co-operation. Here exists a system of
arrangements, simple and effective, under which all
capital, industry, trade, talent, skill and peculiar gifts
may freely operate and co-operate, with no restrictions
other than those which Christian morality every where
rightfully imposes, constantly to the advantage of each
and all. All may thrive together as individuals and as a
Community, without degrading or impoverishing any.
This excellent system of arrangements in its present
completeness is the result of various and wisely
improved experiences.
"4. It affords a peaceful and congenial home for all
conscientious persons, of whatsoever religious sect, class
or description heretofore, who now embrace practical
Christianity, substantially as this Community holds it,
and can no longer fellowship the popular religionists and
politicians. Such need sympathy, co-operation and
fraternal association, without undue interference in re-
lation to non-essential peculiarities. Here they may
find what they need. Here they may give and receive
strength by rational, liberal Christian union.
"5. It affords a most desirable opportunity for those
126 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
who mean to be practical Christians in the use of
property, talent, skill or productive, industry, to invest
them. Here those goods and gifts may all be so em-
ployed as to benefit their possessors to the full extent of
justice, while at the same time they afford aid to the less
favored, help build up a social state free from the evils
of irreligion, ignorance, poverty and vice, promote the
regeneration of the race, and thus resolve themselves
into treasure laid up where neither moth, nor rust, nor
thieves can reach them. Here property is preeminently
safe, useful and beneficent. It is Christianized. So, in
a good degree, are talent, skill, and productive industry.
" 6. It affords small scope, place or encouragement for
the unprincipled, corrupt, suprem.ely selfish, proud,
ambitious, miserly, sordid, quarrelsome, brutal, violent,
lawless, fickle, high-flying, loaferish, idle, vicious, envious
and mischief-making. It is no paradise for such ; unless
they voluntarily make it first a moral penitentiary.
Such will hasten to more congenial localities ; thus
making room for the upright, useful and peaceable.
" 7. It affords a beginning, a specimen and a presage
of a new and glorious social Christendom — a grand con-
federation of similar Communities — a world ultimately
regenerated and Edenized. All this shall be in the
forthcoming future.
"The Hopedale Community was born in obscurity,
cradled in poverty, trained in adversity, and has grown
to a promising childhood, under the Divine guardianship,
in spite of numberless detriments. The bold predic-
tions of many who despised its puny infancy have
proved false. The fears of timid and compassionate
friends that it would certainly fail have been put to rest.
Even the repeated desertion of professed friends, dis-
HOPEDALE. 127
heartened by its imperfections, or alienated by too heavy
trials of their patience, has scarcely retarded its progress.
God willed otherwise. It has still many defects to
outgrow, much impurity to put away, and a great deal
of improvement to make — moral, intellectual and physi-
cal. But it will prevail and triumph. The Most High
will be glorified in making it the parent of a numerous
progeny of practical Christian Communities. Write,
saith the Spirit, and let this prediction be registered
against the time to come, for it shall be fulfilled."
In the large work subsequently published, Mr. Ballou
goes over the whole ground of Socialism in a systematic
and masterly manner. If the people of this country
were not so bewitched with importations from England
and France, that they can not look at home productions
in this line, his scheme would command as much atten-
tion as Fourier's, and a great deal more than Owen's.
The fact of practical failure is nothing against him in
the comparison, as it is common to all of them.
For a specimen, take the following : Mr. Ballou finds
all man's wants, rights and duties in seven spheres, viz. :
1, Individuality; 2, Connubiality ; 3, Consanguinity;
4, Congeniality ; 5, Federality ; 6, Humanity ; 7, Uni-
versality. These correspond very nearly to the series of
spheres tabulated by Comtists. On the basis of this
philosophy of human nature, Mr. Ballou proposes,
not a mere monotony of Phalanxes or Communities,
all alike, but an ascending series of four distinct kinds
of Communities, viz.: i, The Parochial Community,
which is nearly the same as a common parish church ;
2, The Rural Community, which is a social body
occupying a distinct territorial domain, but not other-
128 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
wise consolidated ; 3, The Joint-stock Community, con-
solidating capital and labor, and paying dividends and
wages ; of which Hopedale itself was a specimen ; and
4, The Common-stock Community, holding property in
common and paying no dividends or wages ; which is
Communism proper. Mr. Ballou provides elaborate
Constitutional forms for all of these social states, and
shows their harmonious relation to each other. Then
he builds them up into larger combinations, viz. :
I, Communal Municipalities, consisting of two or more
Communities, making a town or city ; 2, Communal
States ; 3, Communal Nations ; and lastly, " the grand
Fraternity of Nations, represented by Senators in the
Supreme Unitary Council." Moreover he embroiders
on all this an ascending series of categories for individ-
ual character. Citizens of the great Republic are ex-
pected to arrange themselves in seven Circles, viz. :
I, The Adoptive Circle, consisting of members whose
connections with the world preclude their joining any
integral Community ; 2, The Unitive Circle, consisting
of those who join in building up Rural and Joint-stock
Communities ; 3, The Preceptive Circle, consisting of
persons devoted to teaching in any of its branches ;
4, The Communistic Circle, consisting of members of
common stock Communities ; 5, The E.xpansive Circle,
consisting of persons devoted to extending the Repub-
lic, by founding new Communities ; 6, The Charitive
Circle, consisting of working philanthropists ; and 7,
The Parentive Circle, consisting of the most worthy and
reliable counselors — the fathers and mothers in Israel.
This is only a skeleton. In the book all is worked
into harmonious beauty. All is founded on religion ; all
is deduced from the Bible. We confess that if it were
HOPEDALE. 129
our doom to attempt Community-building by paper
programme, we should choose Adin Ballou's scheme in
preference to any thing we have ever been able to find
in the lucubrations of Fourier or Owen.
To give an idea of the high religious tone of Mr.
Ballon and his Community, we quote the following
passage from his preface :
" Let each class of dissenting socialists stand aloof
from our Republic and experiment to their heart's
content on their own wiser systems. It is their right to
do so uninjured, at their own cost. It is desirable that
they should do so, in order that it may be demonstrated
as soon as possible which the true social system is.
When the radically defective have failed, there will be a
harmonious concentration of all the true and good
around the Practical Christian Standard. Meantime the
author confides this Cause calmly to the guidance,
guardianship and benediction of God, even that Heav-
enly Father who once manifested his divine excellency
in Jesus Christ, and who ever manifests himself through
the Christ-Spirit co all upright souls. He sincerely be-
lieves the movement to have been originated and thus
far supervised by that Holy Spirit. He is confident
that well-appointed ministering angels have watched
over it, and will never cease to do so. This strong
confidence has sustained him from the beginning, under
all temporary discouragements, and now animates him
with unwavering hopes for the future. The Hopedale
Community, the first constituent body of the new social
order, commenced the settlement of its Domain in the
spring of 1842, very small in numbers and pecuniary
resources. Its disadvantages were so multiform and
obvious, that most Associationists of that period re-
130 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
garded it as little better than a desperate undertaking,
alike contracted in its social platform, its funds, and
other fundamental requisites of success. Yet it has
lived and flourished, while its supposed superiors have
nearly all perished. Such was the will of God ; such
his promise to its founders ; such their trust in him ;
such the realization of their hopes ; and such the recom-
pense of their persevering toils. And such is the
benignant Providence which will bear the Practical
Christian Republic onward through all its struggles to
the actualization of its sublime destiny. Its citizens
'seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.'
Therefore will all things needful be added unto them.
Let the future demonstrate whether such a faith and
such expectations are the dreams of a shallow visionary,
or the divinely inspired, well-grounded assurances of a
rightly balanced religious mind."
Let it not be thought that Ballou was a mere theo-
rizer. Unlike Owen and Fourier, he worked as well as
wrote. Originally a clergyman and a gentleman, he
gave up his salary, and served in the ranks as a common
laborer for his cause. In conversation with one who
reported to us, he said, that often-times in the early days
of Hopedale he would be so tired at his work in the
ditch or on the mill-dam, that he would go to a neigh-
boring haystack, and lie down on the sunny side of it,
wishing that he might go to sleep and never wake again !
Then he would recuperate and go back to his work.
Nearly all the recreation he had in those days, was to go
out occasionally into the neighborhood and preach a
funeral sermon !
And this, by the way, is a fit occasion to say that in
HOPEDALE. 131
our opinion there ought to be a prohibitory duty on the
importation of socialistic theories, that have not been
worked out, as well as written out, by the inventors
themselves. It is certainly cruel to set vast numbers of
simple people agog with Utopian projects that will cost
them their all, while the inventors and promulgators do
nothing but write and talk. What kind of a theory of
chemistry can a man "write without a laboratory .-' What
if Napoleon had written out a programme for the battle
of Austerlitz, and then left one of his aids-de-camp to
superintend the actual fighting.''
It will be noticed that Mr. Ballou, in his expositions,
carries his assurance that his system is all right, and his
confidence of success, to the verge of presumption. In
this he appears to have partaken of a spirit that is
common to all the socialist inventors. Fourier, without
a laboratory or an experiment, was as dogmatic and in-
fallible as though he were an oracle of God ; and Owen,
after a hundred defeats, never doubted the perfection of
his scheme, and never fairly confessed a failure. But
in the end Ballou rises above these theorizers, even in
this matter. Our informant says he manfully owns that
Hopedale was a total failure.
As to the causes of the catastrophe, his account is the
old story of general depravity. The timber he got
together was not suitable for building a Community.
The men and women that joined him were very enthusi-
astic, and commenced with great zeal ; their devotion to
the cause seemed to be sincere ; but they did not know
themselves.
The following details, given by Mr. Ballou, of the
actual proceedings which brought Hopedale to its end,
132 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
are very instructive in regard to the operation of the
joint-stock principle.
Mr. Baliou was the first President of the Community ;
but was ultimately superseded by E. D. Draper. This
gentleman came to Hopedale with great enthusiasm for
the cause. He was not wealthy, but was a sharp, enter-
prising business man ; and very soon became the
managing spirit of the whole concern. He had a
brother associated with him in business, who had no
sympathy with the Community enterprise. With this
brother Mr. Draper became deeply engaged in outside
operations, which were very lucrative. They gained in
wealth by these operations, while the inside interests
were gradually falling into neglect and bad management.
The result was that the Community sunk capital from
year to year. Meanwhile Draper bought up three-
fourths of the joint-stock, and so had the legal control in
his own hands. At length he became dissatisfied with
the way matters were tending, and went to Mr. Baliou
and told him that " this thing must not go any further."
Mr. Baliou asked him if that meant that the Community
must come to an end. He replied, " Yes." " There
was no other way," said Mr. Baliou, " but to submit to
it." He then said to Mr. Draper that he had one
condition to put to him ; that was, that he should assume
the responsibility of paying the debts. Mr. Draper
consented ; the debts were paid ; and thus terminated
the Hopedale experiment.
133
CHAPTER XIII.
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES.
We have said that Brook Farm came very near being a
religious Community ; and that Hopedale came still
nearer. In this respect these two stand alone among
the experiments of the Fourier epoch. Here therefore
is the place to bring to view in some brief way for
purposes of comparison, the series of strictly religious
Communities that we have referred to heretofore as
colonies of foreigners. The following account of them
first published in the Social Record, has the authority
and freshness of testimony by an eye-witness. Of
course it must not be taken as a view of the exotic
Communities at the present time, but only at its date.
JACOBl's SYNOPSIS.
"During the last eight years I have visited all the
Communities in this country, except the Icarian and
Oneida societies, staying at each from six months to two
years, to get thoroughly acquainted with their practical
workings. I will mention each society according to its
age:
" I. Conrad Beizel, a German, founded the colony of
Ephrata, eight miles from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in
1713. There were at times some thousands of members.
134 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
The Bible was their guide ; they had all things in
common ; lived strictly a life of celibacy ; increased in
numbers, and became very rich. Conrad was at the head
of the whole ; he was the sun from which all others
received the rays of life and animation. He lived
to a very old age, but it was with him as with all other
men ; his sun was not standing in the zenith all the
time, but went down in the afternoon. His rays had
not power enough to warm up thousands of members,
as in younger days : he as the head became old and
lifeless, and the members began to leave. He appointed
a very amiable man as his successor, but he could not
stop the emigration. The property is now in the hands
of trustees who belong to the world, and gives an
income of about $ 1 200 a year. Perhaps there are now
twelve or fifteen members. Some of the grand old
buildings are yet standing. This was the first Com-
munity in America.
" 2. Ann Lee, an English woman, came to this coun-
try in 1774, and founded the Shaker societies. I have
visited four, and lived in two. In point of order,
neatness, regularity and economy, they are far in
advance of all the other societies. They are from nearly
all the civilized nations of the globe, and this is one
reason for their great temporal success. Other Com-
munities do not prosper as well, because they are
composed too much of one nation. In Ann Lee's time,
and even some time after her departure, they had many
spiritual gifts, as never a body of people after Christ's
time has had ; and they were of such a nature as Christ
said should be rt^^ng his true followers ; but they have
now lost them, so far as they are esaential and beneficial.
The ministry is the head. Too much attention is given
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. 1 35
to outward rules, that set up the ministers and elders
as patterns, and keep all minds on the same plane.
While limited by these rules there will be no progress,
and their noble institutions will become dead letters.
" 3. George Rapp, a German, founded a society in the
first quarter of this century. After several removals
they settled at Economy, in Beaver County, Pennsyl-
vania, eighteen miles from Pittsburg. They are all
Germans ; live strictly a life of celibacy ; take the
Bible as their guide, as Rapp understood it. They
numbered about eighteen hundred in their best times,
but are now reduced to about three hundred, and
most of them are far advanced in years. They are very
rich and industrious. Rapp was their leader and head,
and kept the society in prosperous motion so long as he
was able to exercise his influence ; but as he advanced in
years and his mental strength and activity diminished,
the members fell off. He is dead ; and his successor,
Mr. Baker, is advanced in years. They are next to the
Shakers in point of neatness and temporal prosperity ;
but unlike them in being strict Bible-believers, and
otherwise differing in their religious views.
"4. Joseph Bimeler, a German, in 1816 founded the
colony of Zoar, in Tuscorora County, Ohio, twelve
miles from New Philadelphia, with about eight hundred
of his German friends. They are Bible believers in
somewhat liberal style. Bimeler was the main engine ;
he had to do all the thinking, preaching and pulling the
rest along. While he had strength all went on seem-
ingly very well ; but as his strength began to fail the
whole concern went on slowly. I arrived the week after
his death. The members looked like a flock of sheep
who had lost their shepherd. Bimeler appointed a well-
136 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
meaning man for his successor, but as he was not
Bimeler, he could not put his engine before the train.
Every member pushed forward or pulled back just as he
thought proper ; and their thinking was a poor affair, as
they were not used to it. They live married or not, just
as they choose ; are well off, a good moral people, and
number about five hundred.
"5. Samuel Snowberger, an American, founded a
society in 1820 at Snowhill, Pennsylvania, twenty miles
from Harrisburg. He took Ephrata as his pattern in
every respect. The Snowbergers believe in the Bible
as explained in Beizel's writings. They are well "off,
and number about thirty. [This society should be
considered an offshoot of No. i.J
" 6. Christian Metz, a German, with his followers,
founded a society eight miles from Buffalo, New York,
in 1846. They called themselves the inspired people,
and their colony Ebenezer. They believe in the Bible,
as it is explained through their mediums. Metz and
one of the sisters have been mediums more than thirty
years, through whom one spirit speaks and writes. This
spirit guides the society in spiritual and temporal mat-
ters, and they have never been disappointed in his coun-
sels for their welfare. They have been led by this spirit
for more than a century in Germ.any. They permit mar-
riage, when, after application has been made, the spirit
consents to it ; but the parties have to go through some
public mortification. In 1851 they had some thousands
of members. They have now removed to Iowa, where
they have 30,000 acres of land. This is the largest and
richest Community in the United States. One member
brought in ^100,000, others $60,000, $40,000, $20,000,
etc. They are an intelligent and very kind people, and
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I37
live in little comfortable cottages, not having unitary
houses as the other societies. They are not anxious to
get members, and none are received except by the con-
sent of the controlling spirit. They have a printing-
press for their own use, but do not publish any books.
"7. Erick Janson, a Swede, and his friends started a
colony at Bishop Hill, Illinois, in 1846, and now number
about eight hundred. They are Bible-believers accord-
ing to their explanations. They believe that a life of
celibacy is more adapted to develop the inner man, but
marriage is not forbidden. Their minds are not closed
against liberal progress, when they are convinced of the
truth and usefulness of it. They began in very poor
circumstances, but are now well off, and not anxious to
get members ; do not publish any books about their
colony. Janson died eight years ago. They have no
head ; but the people select their preachers and trustees,
who superintend the different branches of business.
They are kept in office as long as the majority think
proper. I am living there now.
" Aug-ust 26 18^8. A. Jacobi."
The connection between religion of some kind and
success in these Communities, has come to be generally
recognized, even among the old friends of non-religious
Association. Thus Horace Greeley, in his " Recol-
lections of a Busy Life," says :
" That there have been — nay, are — decided successes
in practical Socialism, is undeniable ; but they all have
that Communistic basis which seems to me irrational
and calculated to prove fatal. * * *
" I can easily account for the failure of Communism
at New Harmony, and in several other experiments ;
138 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
I can not so easily account for its successes. Vet the
fact stares us in the face that, while hundreds of banks
and factories, and thousands of mercantile concerns,
managed by shrewd, strong men, have gone into bank-
ruptcy and perished, Shaker Communities, established
more than sixty years ago, upon a basis of little property
and less worldly wisdom, are living and prosperous to-
day. And their experience has been imitated by the
German Communites at Economy, Zoar, the Society
of Ebenezer, &c., &c. Theory, however plausible, must
respect the facts. * * *
" Religion often makes practicable that which were
else impossible, and divine love triumphs where human
science is baffled. Thus I interpret the past successes
and failures of Socialism.
" With a firm and deep religious basis, any Socialistic
scheme may succeed, though vicious in organization and
at war with human nature, as I deem Shaker Com-
munism and the antagonist or ' Free Love ' Community
of Perfectionists at Oneida. Without a basis of re-
ligious sympathy and religious aspiration, it will always
be difficult, though I judge not impossible."
Also Charles A. Dana, in old times a Fourierist and
withal a Brook Farmer, now chief of TJie New York
Sun, says in an editorial on the Brocton Association
(May I 1869):
" Communities based upon peculiar religious views,
have generally succeeded. The Shakers and the Oneida
Community are conspicuous illustrations of this fact ;
while the failure of the various attempts made by the
disciples of Fourier, Owen, and others, who have not
had the support of religious fanaticism, proves that
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I39
without this great force the most brilliant social theories
are of little avail."
It used to be said in the days of Slavery, that religious
negroes were worth more in the market than the non-
religious. Thus religion, considered as a working force
in human nature, has long had a recognized commercial
value. The logic of events seems now to be giving it a
definite socialistic value. American experience certainly
tends to the conclusion that religious men can hold
together longer and accomplish more in close Associa-
tion, than men without religion.
But with this theory how shall we account for the
failure of Brook Farm and Hopedale .-• They certainly
had, as we have seen, much of the " fanaticism " of the
Shakers and other successful Communities — at least in
their expressed ideals. Evidently some peculiar species
of religion, or some other condition than religion, is
necessary to insure success. To discover the truth
in this matter, let us take the best example of success
we can find, and see what other principle besides religion
is most prominent in it.
The Shakers evidently stand highest on the list of
successful Communities. Religion is their first prin-
ciple ; what is their second ? Clearly the exclusion of
marriage, or in other words, the subjection of the sexual
relation to the Communistic principle. Here we have
our clue ; let us follow it. Can any example of success
be found where this second condition is not present ?
We need not look for precisely the Shaker treatment of
the sexual relation in other examples. Our question is
simply this : Has any attempt at close Association ever
succeeded, which took marriage into it substantially as
it exists in ordinary society.-* Reviewing Jacobi's list,
140 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
which includes all the Communities commonly reported
to be successful, we find the following facts :
1 . The Communists of Ephrata live strictly a life of
celibacy.
2. The Rappites live strictly a life of celibacy ;
though Williams says they did not adopt this principle
till 1807, which was four years after their settlement in
Pennsylvania.
3. The Zoarites marry or not as they choose,
according to Jacobi ; but Macdonald, who also visited
them, says : " At their first organization marriage was
strictly forbidden, not from any religious scruples as to
its propriety, but as an indispensable matter of economy.
They were too poor to rear children, and for years their
little town presented the anomaly of a village without a
single child to be seen or heard within its limits.
Though this regulation has been for years removed, as
no longer necessary, their settlement still retains much
of its old character in this respect."
4. The Snowbergers, taking Ephrata as their pattern,
adhere strictly to celibacy.
5. The Ebenezers, according to Jacobi, permit mar-
riage, when their guiding spirit consents to it ; but the
parties have to go through some public mortification.
Another account of the Ebenezers says : " They marry
and are given in marriaj.e ; but what will be regarded as
most extraordinary, they are practically Malthusians
when the economy of their organization demands it.
We have been told that when they contemplated emigra-
tion to this country, in view of their then condition and
what they must encounter in fixing a new home, they
concluded there should be no increase of their popu-
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I4I
lation by births for a given number of years ; and the
regulation was strictly adhered to."
6. The Jansonists believe that a life of celibacy is
more adapted to develop the life of the inner man ; but
marriage is not forbidden.
Thus in all these Societies Communism evidently is
stronger than marriage familism. The control over the
sexual relation varies in stringency. The Shakers and
perhaps the Ephratists exclude familism with religious
horror ; the Rappites give it no place, but their
repugnance is less conspicuous ; the Zoarites have
no conscience against it, but exclude it from motives of
economy ; the Ebenezers excluded it only in the early
stages of their growth, but long enough to show that
they held it in subjection to Communism. The Janson-
ists favor celibacy ; but do not prohibit marriage. The
decreasing ratio of control corresponds very nearly to
the series of dates at which these Communities com-
menced. The Ephratists settled in this country in
171 3 ; the Shakers in 1774 ; the Rappites in 1804 ; the
Zoarites in 18 16; the F^benezers in 1846; and the Jan-
sonists in 1846. Thus there seems to be a tendency to
departure from the stringent anti-familism of the
Shakers, as one type of Communism after another is
sent here from the Old World. Whether there is a
complete correspondence of the fortunes of these several
Communities to the strength of their anti-familism, is
an interesting question which we are not prepared to
answer. Only it is manifest that the Shakers, who dis-
card the radix of old society with the greatest vehe-
mence, and are most jealous for Communism as the
prime unit of organization, have prospered most, and
are making the longest and strongest mark on. the his-
142 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
tory of Socialism. And in general it seems probable
from the fact of success attending these forms of Com-
munism to the exclusion of all others, that there is
some rational connection between their control of the
sexual relation and their prosperity.
The only case that we have heard of as bearing
against the hypothesis of such a connection, is that of
the French colony of Icarians. We have seen their
example appealed to as proof that Communism may
exist without religion, and with marriage. Our accounts,
however, of this Society in its present state are very
meager. The original Icarian Community, founded by
Cabet at Nauvoo, not only tolerated but required mar-
riage ; and as it soon came to an end, its fate helps the
anti-marriage theory. The present Society of Icarians
is only a fragment of that Community — about sixty
persons out of three hundred and sixty-five. Whether
it retained its original constitution after separating from
its founder, and how far it can fairly claim to be a
success, we know not. All our other facts would lead
us to expect that it will either subordinate the sexual
relation to the Communistic, or that it will not long
keep its Communism.
Of course we shall not be understood as propounding
the theory that the negative or Shaker method of dis-
posing of marriage and the sexual relation, is the only
one that can subordinate familism to Communism. The
Oneida Communists claim that their control over
amativeness and philoprogenitiveness, the two elements
of familism, is carried much farther than that of the
Shakers ; inasmuch as they make those passions serve
Communism, instead of opposing it, as they do under
suppression. They dissolve the old dual unit of society,
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I43
but take the constituent elements of it all back into
Communism. The only reason why we do not name
the Oneida Community among the examples of the
connection between anti-marriage and success, is that
we do not consider it old enough to be pronounced
successful.
Let us now go back to Brook Farm and Hopedale,
and see how they stood in relation to marriage.
We find nothing that indicates any attempt on the
part of Brook Farm to meddle with the marriage rela-
tion. In the days of its original simplicity, it seems not
to have thought of such a thing. It finally became a
Fourier Phalanx, and of course came into more or less
sympathy with the expectations of radical social changes
which Fourier encouraged. But it was always the
policy of the Harbinger, the Tribune, and all the organs
of Fourierism, to indignantly protest their innocence of
^•ay present disloyalty to marriage. And yet we find in
the i9i«/ (January 1844), an article about Brook Farm
by Charles Lane, which shows in the following signifi-
cant passage, that there was serious thinking among the
Transcendentalists, as to the possibility of a clash be-
tween old familism and the larger style of life in the
Phalanx :
" The great problem of socialism now is, whether the
existence of the marital family is compatible with that
of the universal family, which the term * Community '
signifies. The maternal instinct, as hitherto educated,
has declared itself so strongly in favor of the separate
fireside, that Association, which appears so beautiful to
the young and unattached soul, has yet accomplished
little progress in the affections of that important section
of the human race — the mothers. With fathers, the
144 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
feeling in favor of the separate family is certainly less
strong ; but there is an undefinable tie, a sort of mag-
netic rapport, an invisible, inseverable, umbilical cord
between the mother and child, which in most cases cir-
cumscribes her desires and ambition to her own im-
mediate family. All the accepted adages and wise saws
of society, all the precepts of morality, all the sanctions
of theology, have for ages been employed to confirm this
feeling. This is the chief corner-stone of present
society ; and to this maternal instinct have, till very
lately, our most heartfelt appeals been made for the
progress of the human race, by means of a deeper and
more vital education. Pestalozzi and his most en-
lightened disciples are distinguished by this sentiment.
And are we all at once to abandon, to deny, to destroy
this supposed stronghold of virtue.'' Is it questioned
whether the family arrangement of mankind is to be
preserved ? Is it discovered that the sanctuary, till now
deemed the holiest on earth, is to be invaded by inter-
meddling skepticism, and its altars sacrilegiously
destroyed by the rude hand of innovating progress .-'
Here ' social science ' must be brought to issue. The
question of Association and of marriage are one. If, as
we have been popularly led to believe, the individual or
separate family is in the true order of Providence, then
the associative life is a false effort. If the associative life
is true, then is the separate family a false arrangement.
By the maternal feeling it appears to be decided, that
the co-existence of both is incompatible, is impossible.
So also say some religious sects. Social science ven-
tures to assert their harmony. This is the grand problem
now remaining to be solved, for at least the enlightening,
if not for the vital elevation of humanity. That the
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I45
affections can be divided, or bent with equal ardor on
two objects, so opposed as universal and individual
love, may at least be rationally doubted. History
has not yet exhibited such phenomena in an asso-
ciate body, and scarcely perhaps in any individual.
The monasteries and convents, which have existed in
all ages, have been maintained solely by the annihilation
of that peculiar affection on which the separate family is
based. The Shaker families, in which the two sexes are
not entirely dissociated, can yet only maintain their
union by forbidding and preventing the growth of per-
sonal affection other than that of a spiritual character.
And this in fact is not personal in the sense of individual,
but ever a manifestation of univ^ersal affection. Spite
of the speculations of hopeful bachelors and aesthetic
spinsters, there is somewhat in the marriage bond which
is found to counteract the universal nature of the
affections, to a degree tending at least to make the
considerate pause, before they assert that, by any social
arrangements whatever, the two can be blended into one
harmony. The general condition of married persons at
this time is some evidence of the existence of such a
doubt in their minds. Were they as convinced as the
unmarried of the beauty and truth of associate life, the
demonstration would be now presented. But might it
not be enforced that the two family ideas really neutral-
ize each other .'' Is it not quite certain that the human
heart can not be set in two places .'' that man can not
worship at two altars } It is only the determination to
do what parents consider the best for themselves and
their families, which renders the o'er populous world such
a wilderness of self-hood as it is: Destroy this feeling,
they say, and you prohibit every motive to exertion.
146 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Much truth is there in this affirmation. For to them,
no other motive remains, nor indeed to any one else,
save that of the universal good, which does not permit
the building up of supposed self-good, and therefore
forecloses all possibility of an individual family.
"These observations, of course, equally apply to all
the associative attempts, now attracting so much public
attention ; and perhaps most especially to such as have
more of Fourier's designs than are observable at Brook
Farm. The slight allusion in all the writers of the
'Phalansterian' class, to the subject of marriage, is
rather remarkable. They are acute and eloquent in
deploring Woman's oppressed and degraded position in
past and present times, but are almost silent as to the
future."
So much for Brook Farm. Hopedale was thoroughly
conservative in relation to marriage. The following is
an extract from its Constitution :
"Article viii. Sec. i. Marriage, being one of the
most important and sacred of human relationships,
ought to be guarded against caprice and abuse by the
highest wisdom which is available. Therefore within
the membership of this republic and the dependencies
thereof, marriage is specially commended to the care of
the Preceptive and Parentive circles. They are hereby
designated as the confidential counselors of all mem-
bers and dependents who may desire their mediation in
cases of matrimonial negotiation, contract or contro-
versy ; and shall be held preeminently responsible for
the prudent and faithful discharge of their duties. But
no person decidedly averse to their interposition shall be
considered under imperative obligation to solicit or
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I47
accept it. And it shall be considered the perpetual
duty of the Preceptive and Parentive Circles to
enlighten the public mind relative to the requisites
of true matrimony, and to elevate the marriage
institution within this Republic to the highest possible
plane of purity and happiness.
"Sec. 2. Marriage shall always be solemnized in the
presence of two or more witnesses, by the distinct
acknowledgment of the parties before some member of
the Preceptive, or of the Parentive Circle, selected to
preside on the occasion. And it shall be the imperative
duty of the member so presiding, to see that every such
marriage be recorded within ten days thereafter, in the
Registry of the Community to which one or both of
them shall at the time belong.
"Sec. 3. Divorce from the bonds of matrimony shall
never be allowable within the membership of this
Republic, except for adultery conclusively proved against
the accused party. But separations for other sufficient
reasons may be sanctioned, with the distinct understand-
ing that neither party shall be at liberty to marry again
during the natural lifetime of the other."
On this text Mr. Ballou comments in his book to the
extent of thirty pages, and occupies as many more with
the severest criticisms of " Noyesism" and other forms
of sexual innovation.
The facts we have found stand thus : All the suc-
cessful Communities, besides being religious, exercise
control, more or less stringent, over the sexual relation ;
and this principle is most prominent in those that are
most successful. But Brook Farm and Hopedale did
not attempt any such control.
148 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
We incline therefore to the conclusion that the
Massachusetts Socialisms were weak, not altogether for
want of religion, but because they were too conservative
in regard to marriage, and thus could not digest and
assimilate their material. Or in more general terms,
the conclusion toward which our facts and reflections
point is, first, that religion, not as a mere doctrine, but
as an afflatus having in itself a tendency to make many
into one, is the first essential of successful Communism ;
and, secondly, that the afflatus must be strong enough
to decompose the old family unit and make Communism
the home-center
We will conclude with some observations that seem
necessary to complete our view of the religious Com-
munities.
When we speak of these societies as successful, this
must not be understood in any absolute sense. Their
success is evidently a thing of degrees. All of them
appear to have been very successful at some period of
their career in making money; which fact indicates
plainly enough, that the theories of Owen and Fourier
about " compound economies " and " combined industry,"
are not moonshine, but practical verities. We may
consider it proved by abundant experiment, that it is
easy for harmonious Associations to get a living, and to
grow rich. But in other respects these religious Com-
munities have had various fortunes. The oldest of
them, Beizel's Colony of Ephrata, in its early days
numbered its thousands; but in 1858 it had dwindled
down to twelve or fifteen members. So the Rappites in
their best time numbered from eight hundred to a thou-
sand ; but are now reduced to two or three hundred old
people. This can hardly be called success, even if the
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I49
money holds out. On the other hand, the Shakers
appear to have kept their numbers good, as well as
increased in wealth, for nearly a century ; though Jacobi
represents them as now at a stand-still. The rest of
the Communities in his list, dating from 1816 to 1846,
are perhaps not old enough to be pronounced perma-
nently successful. Whether they are dwindling, like the
Keizelites and Rappites, or at a stand-still, like the
Shakers, or in a period of vigor and growth, Jacobi does
not say ; and we have no means of ascertaining. It is
proper, however, to call them all successful in a relative
sense ; that is, as compared with the non-religious
experiments. They have held together and made
money for long periods ; which is a success that the
Owen and Fourier Communities have not attained.
If required here to define absolute success, we should
say that at the lowest it includes not merely self-support,
but also self-perpetuation. And this attainment is
nearly precluded by the ascetic method of treating the
sexual relation. The adoption of foreign children can
not be a reliable substitute for home-propagation. The
highest ideal of a successful Community requires that it
should be a complete nursery of human beings, doing
for them all that the old family-home has done, and a
great deal more. Scientific propagation and universal
culture should be its ends, and money-making only its
means.
The causes of the comparative success which the
ascetic Communities have attained, we have found in
their religious principles and their freedom from mar-
riage. Jacobi seems disposed to give special prominence
to leadership, as a cause of success. He evidently
attributes the decline of the Beizelites, the Rappites and
150 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the Zoarites, to the old age and death of their founders.
But something more than skillful leadership is necessary
to account for the success of the Shakers. They had
their greatest expansion after the death of Ann Lee.
Jacobi recognizes, in his account of the Ebenezers,
another centralizing and controlling influence, coopera-
ting with leadership, which has probably had more to do
with the success of all the religious Communities, than
leadership or anything else; viz., inspiration. He says
of the Ebenezers :
" They call themselves the inspired people. They
believe in the l^ible, as it is explained through their
mediums. Metz, the founder, and one of the sisters,
have been mediums more than thirty years, through
whom one spirit speaks and writes. This spirit guides
the society in spiritual and temporal matters, and they
have never been disappointed in his counsels for their
welfare. They have been led by this spirit for more
than a century in Germany. No members are received
except by the consent of this controlling spirit."
Something like this must be true of all the Com-
munities in Jacobi's list. This is what we mean by
afflatus. Indeed, this is what we mean by religion,
when we connect the success of Communities with their
religion. Mere doctrines and forms without afflatus are
not religion, and have no more power to organize suc-
cessful Communities, than the theories of Owen and
Fourier.
Personal leadership has undoubtedly played a great
part in connection with afflatus, in gathering and
guiding the religious Communities. Afflatus requires
personal mediums ; and probably success depends on the
due adjustment of the proportion between afflatus and
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I5I
medium. As afflatus is the permanent element, and
personal leadership the transitory, it is likely that in
the cases of the dwindling Communities, leadership has
been too strong and afflatus too weak. A very great
man, as medium of a feeble afflatus, may belittle a Com-
munity while he holds it together, and insure its
dwindling away after his death. On the other hand, we
see in the case of the Shakers, a strong afflatus, with an
ordinary illiterate woman for its first medium ; and the
result is success continuing and increasing after her
death.
It is probably true, nevertheless, that an afflatus
which is strong enough to make a strong man its
medium and keep him under, will attain the greatest suc-
cess ; or in other words, that the greater the medium
the better, other things being equal.
In all cases of afflatus fcontinuing after the death of
the first medium, there seems to be an alternation of ex-
perience between afflatus and personal leadership, some-
what like that of the Primitive Christian Church. In
that case, there was first an afflatus concentrated on a
strong leader : then after the death of the leader, a dis-
tributed afflatus for a considerable period following the
day of Pentecost : and finally another concentration of
the afflatus on a strdng leader in the person of Paul,
who was the final organizer.
Compare with this the experience of the Shakers.
The afflatus (issuing from a combination of the Quaker
principality with the " French Prophets ") had Ann Lee
for its first medium, and worked in the concentrated
form during her life. After her death, there was a short
interregnum of distributed inspiration. Finally the
afflatus concentrated on another leader; and this time it
152 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
was a man, Elder Meacham, who proved to be the final
organizer. Each step of this progress is seen in the
following brief history of Shakerism, from the American
Cyclopaedia :
" The idea of a community of property, and of Shaker
families or unitary households, was first broached by
Mother Ann, who formed her little family into a model
after which the general organizations of the Shaker or-
der, as they now exist, have been arranged. She died
in 1784. In 1787 Joseph Meacham, formerly a Baptist
preacher, but who had been one of Mother Ann's first
converts at Watervliet, collected her adherents in a
settlement at New Lebanon, and introduced both princi-
ples, together probably with some others not to be found
in the revelations of their foundress. Within five years,
under the efficient administration of Meacham, eleven
Shaker settlements were founded, viz. : at New Lebanon,
New York, which has always been regarded as the
parent Society ; at Watervliet, New York ; at Hancock,
Tyringham, Harvard, and Shirley, Massachusetts ; at
Enfield, Connecticut (Meacham's native town) ; at Can-
terbury and Enfield, New Hampshire ; and at Alfred
and New Gloucester, Maine."
Going beyond the Communities for examples (as the
principles of growth are the same in all spiritual organi-
zations), we may in like manner compare the develop-
ment of Mormonism with that of Christianity. Joseph
Smith was the first medium. After his death came a
period of distributed inspiration. Finally the aflflatus
concentrated on Brigham Young as its second medium,
and he has organized Mormonism.
For a still greater example, look at the Bonaparte
dynasty. It can not be doubted that there is a persist-
THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. I53
ent afflatus connected with that power. It was con-
centrated on the first Napoleon. After his deposal and
death there was a long interregnum ; but the afflatus
was only distributed, not extinguished. At length it
concentrated again on the present Napoleon ; and he
proves to be great in diplomacy and organization, as the
first Napoleon was in war.
We have said that the general conclusion toward
which our facts and reflections point, is, first, that re-
ligion, not as a mere doctrine, but as an afflatus, is the
first essential to successful Communism ; and secondly,
that the afflatus must be strong enough to make Com-
munism the home-center. We may now add (if the law
we have just enunciated is reliable), that the afflatus must
also be strong enough to prevail over personal leadership
in its mediums, and be able, when one leader dies, to
find and use another.
We must note however that this law of apparent
transfer does not necessarily imply real change of leader-
ship. In the case of Christianity, its adherents assume
that the first leader was not displaced, but only trans-
ferred from the visible to the invisible sphere, and thus
continued to be the administrative medium of the
original afflatus. And something like this, we under-
stand, is claimed by the Shakers in regard to Ann Lee.
154 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION.
This Community, though its site was in a region where
Jonathan Edwards and RevivaHsm reigned a hundred
years before, could hardly be called religious. It seems
to have represented a class sometimes called " Nothing-
arians." But like Brook Farm and Hopedale, it was an
independent Yankee attempt to regenerate society, and
a forerunner of Fourierism.
Massachusetts, the center of New England, the
mother of school systems and factory systems, of
Faneuil Hall revolutions and Anti-Slavery revolutions,
of Liberalism, Literature, and Social Science, appears
to have anticipated the advent of Fourierism, and to
have prepared herself for or against the rush of French
ideas, by throwing out three experiments of her own
on her three avenues of approach : — Unitarianism, Uni-
versalism, and Nothingarianism.
The following neat account of the Northampton
Community, is copied from a feminine manuscript in
Macdonald's collection, on which he wrote in pencil :
THE NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION. 1 55
" By Mrs. y?idso?i, for me, tJirough G. IV. Bejison,
Williamsburg, February 14 1853."
MEMOIR.
" The Northampton Association of Education and
Industry had its origin in the aspiration of a few
individuals for a better and purer state of society — for
freedom from the trammels of sect and bigotry, and an
opportunity of carrying out their principles, socially,
religiously, and otherwise, without restraint from the
prevailing practices of the world around.
"The projectors of this enterprise were Messrs. David
Mack, Samuel L. Hill, George W. Benson and William
Adam. These, with several others who were induced to
unite with them, in all ten persons, held their first
meeting April 8 1842, organized the Association, and
adopted a preamble, constitution and by-laws.
" This little band formed the nucleus, around which a
large number soon clustered, all thinking, intelligent
persons ; all, or nearly all, seeing and feeling the
imperfections of existing society, and seeking a purer,
more free and elevated position as regards religion,
politics, business, &c. It would not be true to say that
all the members of the Community were imbued with
the true spirit of reform ; but the leading minds were
sincere reformers, earnest, truthful souls, sincerely
desiring to advance the cause of truth apd liberty.
Some were young persons, attracted thither by friends,
or coming there to seek employment on the same terms
as members, and afterwards applying for full mem-
bership.
" The Association was located about two and a half
miles from the village and center of business of North-
ampton. The estate consisted of five hundred acres of
156 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
land, a good water-privilege, a silk factory four stories in
height, six dwelling-houses, a saw-mill and other
property, all v^alued at about $31,000. This estate was
formerly owned by the Northampton Silk Company ;
afterwards by J. Conant & Co., who sold it to
the persons who originated the Association. The
amount of stock paid in was ;^20,ooo. This left a debt
of $11,000 upon the Community, which, in the enthusi-
asm of the new enterprise, they expected soon to pay by
additions to their capital stock, and by the profits of
labor. But by the withdrawal of members holding
stock, and also by some further purchases of property,
this debt was afterwards increased to nearly four times
its original amount, and no progress was made toward
its liquidation during the continuance of the Asso-
ciation.
" Labor was remunerated equally ; both sexes and all
occupations receiving the same compensation.
" It could not be expected that so many persons,
bound by no pledges or ' Articles of Faith,' should agree
in all things. They were never asked when applying
for membership, ' Do you believe so and so ? ' On the
contrary, a good life and worthy motives were the only
tests by which they were judged. Of course it was
necessary, before they could be admitted, to decide the
question, ' Can they be useful to the Association ?'
" The accommodations for families were extremely
limited, and many times serious inconvenience was
experienced, in consequence of small and few apart-
ments. For the most part it was cheerfully sustained ;
at least, so long as there was any hope of success — that
is, of paying the debts, and obtaining a livelihood.
Most of the members had been accustomed to good,
THE NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION. 1 57
spacious houses, and every facility for comfortable living.
"To obviate the difficulty of procuring suitable tene-
ments for separate families, a community family was
instituted, occupying a part of the silk-factory. Two
stories of this building were appropriated to the use of
such as chose to live at a common table and participate
in the labor of the family. This also formed the home
of young persons who were unconnected with families.
" There was always plenty of food, and no one suffered
for the necessaries or comforts of life. All were satis-
fied with simplicity, both in diet and dress.
" At the first -annual meeting, held January i8 1843,
some important changes were made in the management
of the affairs of the Association, and a new ' Preamble
and Articles of Association,' tending toward consoli-
dation and communism, were adopted for the year.
This step was the occasion of dissatisfaction to some of
the stockholders — to one in particular, and probably led
to his withdrawal, before the expiration of the year.
" Previous to this time some of the early members
had become dissatisfied with life in a Community, and
had withdrawn from all connection with it. They were
persons who _had been pleased with the avowed objects
and principles of the Association, and with the persons
composing it, and also looked upon it as a profitable
investment of money. Of course in this they were
disappointed, and they had no principles which would
induce them to make sacrifices for the cause.
" A department of education was organized, in which
it was designed to unite study with labor, on the ground
that no education is complete which does not combine
physical with mental development. Mr. Adam was the
first director of that department, and was an able and
158 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
efficient teacher. He was succeeded by Mr. Mack and
his wife, who were persons of much experience in
teaching, and of superior attainments. A boarding-
school was opened under their auspices, and several
pupils were received from abroad, who pursued the same
course as those belonging to the Association.
" In the course of the third year a subscription was
opened, for the purpose of relieving the necessities of
the Association ; and people interested in the object of
Social Reform were solicited to invest money in this
enterprise, no subscription to be binding unless the sum
of ^25,000 was raised. This sum never was subscribed,
and of course no assistance was obtained in that way.
" Many troubles were constantly growing out of the
pecuniary difficulties in which the Community was
involved. Many sacrifices were demanded, and much
hard labor was required, and those whose hearts were
not in the work withdrew.
" As might be inferred from what has been said, there
was no religious creed, and no particular form of reli-
gious worship enjoined. A meeting was sustained on
the first day of the week most of the time while the
Association existed, in which various subjects were
discussed, and all had the right and an opportunity of
expressing their opinions or personal feelings. Of course
a great variety of views and sentiments were introduced.
As the religious sentiment is strong in most minds, this
introduction of every phase of religious belief was very
exciting, producing in some dissatisfaction ; in others,
the shaking of all their preconceived views ; and prob-
ably resulting in greater liberality and more charitable
feelings in all.
" The carrying out of different religious views was.
THE NORTHAMPTON ASSOCIATION. I 59
perhaps, the occasion of more disagreement than any
other subject: the more liberal party advocating the
propriety and utility of amusements, such as card-
playing, dancing, and the like ; while others, owing
perhaps to early education, which had taught them to
look upon such things as sinful, now thought them detri-
mental and wholly improper, especially in the impover-
ished state of the Community. This disagreement
operated to general disadvantage ; as in consequence of
it several worthy people and valuable members withdrew.
" There was also a difference of opinion many times
with regard to the management of business, which was
principally in the hands of the trustees, viz., the Presi-
dent, Secretary, and Treasurer, and it is believed was
honestly conducted.
"The whole number of persons ever resident there,
as nearly as can be ascertained, was two hundred and
twenty ; while probably the number of actual members
at any one time ^did not exceed one hundred and thirty.
" With regard to the dissolution of this organization,
which took place November i 1846, I can only quote
from the official records. * There being no business be-
fore the meeting, there was a general conversation among
the members about the business prospects of the
Association, and many were of the opinion that it was
best to dissolve ; as we were deeply in debt, and there
was no prospect of any more stock being taken up, which
was the only thing that could relieve us, as our earnings
were not large, and those members who had left us,
whose stock was due, were calling for it. Some spoke
of the want of that harmony and brotherly feeling
which were indispensable to the success of such an
enterprise. Others spoke of the unwillingness to make
l60 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
sacrifices on the part of some of the members ; also, of
the lack of industry and the right appropriation of
time.' At a subsequent meeting the Executive Council
stated that ' in view of all the circumstances of the
Association, they had decided upon a dissolution of the
several departments as at present organized, and should
proceed to close the affairs of the Association as soon
as practicable.' So the Association ceased to exist.
" The spirit which prompted it can never die ; and
though, in the carrying out of the principles which led
to its organization, a failure has been experienced, yet the
spirit of good-will and benevolence, that all-embracing
charity, which led them to receive among them some
unworthy and unprofitable members, still lives and is
developing itself in other situations and by other means.
"It is impossible to give a complete history of this
Community — its changes — its trials — its failure, and in
some respects, perhaps, its success. Much happiness
was experienced there — much of trial and discipline.
No doubt it had its influence on the surrounding world,
leading them to greater liberality and Christian forbear-
ance. It was a great innovation on the established
order of things in the whole region, and was at first
looked upon with horror and distrust. These prejudices
in a great measure subsided, and gave way to a feeling
of comparative respect. With other similar undertakings
that have been abandoned, it has done its work ; and
may it be found that its influence has been for good and
not for evil."
i6i
CHAPTER XV.
THE SKANEATELES COMMUNITY.
A WONDERFUL year was 1843. Father Miller's pro-
phetic calculations had created a vast expectation that it
would be the year of the final conflagration. His confi-
dent followers had their ascension-robes ready ; and
outside multitudes saw the approach of that year with
an uneasy impression that the advent of Christ, or
something equally awful, was about to make an end of
the world.
And indeed tremendous events did come in 1843.
If Father Miller and his followers had been discerning
and humble enough to have accepted a spiritual fulfill-
ment of their prophecies, they might have escaped the
mortification of a total mistake as to the time. The
events that came were these:
The Anti-slavery movement, which for twelve years
had been gathering into itself all minor reforms and firing
the northern heart for revolution, came to its climax in
the summer of 1843, in a rush of one hundred National
Conventions ! At the same time Brisbane had every
thing ready for his great socialistic movement, and
jn the autumn of 1843 the flood of Fourierism broke
upon the country. Anti-slavery was destructive ; Fou-
rierism professed to be constructive. Both were ram-
l62 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
pant against existing civilization. Perhaps it will be
found that in the junction and triumphant sweep of
these forces, the old world, in an important sense, did
come to an end.
In 1843 Massachusetts, the great mother of notions,
threw out in the face of impending Fourierism her
fourth and last socialistic experiment. There was a
mania abroad, that made common Yankees as confident
of their ability to achieve new social machinery and save
the world, as though they were Owens or Fouriers.
The Unitarians at Brook Farm, the Universalists at
Hopedale, and the Nothingarians at Northampton, had
tried their hands at Community-building in 1841 — 2, and
were in the full glory of success. It was time for Anti-
slavery, the last and most vigorous of Massachusetts
nurslings, to enter the socialistic field. This time, as if
to make sure of out-flanking the French invasion, the
post for the experiment was taken at Skaneateles
{a town forty miles west of the present site of the Oneida
Community), thus extending the Massachusetts line
from Boston to Central New York.
John A. Collins, the founder of the Skaneateles Com-
munity, was a Boston man, and had been a working
Abolitionist up to the summer of 1843. He was in fact
the General Agent of the Massachusetts Anti-slavery
Society, and in that capacity had superintended the one
hundred National Conventions ordered by the Society
for that year. During the latter part of this service he
had turned his own attention and that of the Conven-
tions he managed, so much toward his private schemes
of Association, that he had not the face to claim his .
salary as Anti-slavery agent. His way was to get up a
rousing Anti-slavery Convention, and conclude it by
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 1 63
calling a socialistic Convention, to be held on the spot
immediately after it. At the close of the campaign he
resigned, and the Anti-slavery Board gave him the
following certificate of character :
" Voted, That the Board, in accepting the resignation
of John A. Collins, tender him their sincerest thanks,
and take this occasion to bear the most cordial testimony
to the zeal and disinterestedness with which, at a great
crisis, he threw himself a willing offering on the altar of
the Anti-slavery cause, as well as to the energy and rare
ability with which for four years he has discharged the
duties of their General Agent ; and in parting, offer him
their best wishes for his future happiness and success."
In October Mr. Collins bought at Skaneateles a farm of
three hundred and fifty acres for ^15,000, paying ^5,000
down, and giving back a mortgage for the remainder.
There was a good stone farm-house with barns and other
buildings on the place. Mr. Collins gave a general
invitation to join. One hundred and fifty responded to
the call, and on the first of January 1844 the Commu-
nity was under way, and the first number of its organ.
The Commujtitist, was given to the world.
The only document we find disclosing the funda-
mental principles of this Community is the following —
which however was not ventilated in the Communitist,
but found its way to the public through the Skaneateles
Columbian, a neighboring paper. We copy verbatim :
Articles of Belief and Disbelief, and Creed prepared
a?id read by yoht A. Collins, November 19,- 1843.
"Bploved Friends: By your consent and advice, I
am called upon to make choice of those among you to
aid me in establishing in this place, a Community of
164 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
property and interest, by which we may be brought into
love relations, through which plenty and intelligence
may be ultimately secured to all the inhabitants of this
globe. To accomplish this great work there are but
very few, in consequence of their original organization,
structure of mind, education, habits and preconceived
opinions, who are at the present time adapted to work
out this great problem of human redemption. All who
come together for this purpose, should be united in
thought and feeling on certain fundamental principles ;
for without this, a Community of property would be but
a farce. Therefore it may be said with great propriety
that the success of the experiment will depend upon the
wisdom exhibited in the choice of the materials as
agents for its accomplishment.
" Without going into the detail of the principles upon
which this Community is to be established, I will state
briefly a few of the fundamental principles which I
regard as essential to be assented to by every applicant
for admission :
" I. Religion. — A disbelief in any special revelation
of God to man, touching his will, and thereby binding
upon man as authority in any arbitrary sense ; that all
forms of worship should cease ; that all religions of every
age and nation, have their origin in the same great false-
hood, viz., God's special Providences ; that while we
admire the precepts attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, we
do not regard them as binding because uttered by him,
but because they are true in themselves, and best
adapted to promote the happiness of the race : therefore
we regard the Sabbath as other days ; the organized
church as adapted to produce strife and contention
rather than love and peace ; the clergy as an imposition ;
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 165
the Bible as no authority ; miracles as unphilosophical ;
and salvation from sin, or from punishment in a future
world, through a crucified God, as a remnant of
heathenism.
" 2. Governments. — A disbelief in the rightful exist-
ence of all governments based upon physical force ; that
they are organized bands of banditti, whose authority is
to be disregarded : therefore we will not vote under such
governments, or petition to them, but demand them to
disband ; do no military duty ; pay no personal or
property taxes ; sit upon no juries ; refuse to testify in
courts of so-called justice ; and never appeal to the law
for a redress of grievances, but use all peaceful and
moral means to secure their complete destruction.
" 3. That there is to be no individual property, but all
goods shall be held in common ; that the idea of mine
and thine, as regards the earth and its products, as now
understood in the exclusive sense, is to be disregarded
and set aside : therefore, when we unite, we will throw
into the common treasury all the property which is
regarded as belonging to us, and forever after yield up
our individual claim and ownership in it ; that no com-
pensation shall be demanded for our labor, if we should
ever leave.
"4. Marriage. — [Orthodox as usual on this head.]
That we regard marriage as a true relation, growing out
of the nature of things — repudiating licentiousness, con-
cubinage, adultery, bigamy and polygamy ; that marriage
is designed for the happiness of the parties and to pro-
mote love and virtue ; that when such parties have
outlived their affections and can not longer contribute to
each other's happiness, the sooner the separation takes
place the better ; and such separation shall not be a
1 66 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
barrier to the parties in again uniting with any one,
when they shall consider their happiness can be pro-
moted thereby ; that parents are in duty bound to
educate their children in habits of virtue and love and
industry ; and that they are bound to unite with the
Community.
"5. Education of Children. — That the Community
owes to the children a duty to secure them a virtuous
education, and watch over them with parental care.
"6. Dietetics. — That a vegetable and fruit diet is
essential to the health of the body, and purity of the
mind, and the happiness of society ; therefore, the kill-
ing and eating of animals is essentially wrong, and
should be renounced as soon as possible, together with
the use of all narcotics and stimulants.
'• 7. That all applicants shall, at the discretion of the
Community, be put upon probation of three or six
months.
" 8. Any person who shall force himself or herself
upon the Community, who has received no invitation
from the Community, or who does not assent to the
views above enumerated, shall not be treated or consid-
ered as a member of the Community; no work shall be
assigned to him or her if solicited, while at the same
time, he or she shall be regarded with the same kindness
as all or any other strangers — shall be furnished with
food and clothing ; that if at any time any one shall
dissent from any or all of the principles above, he ought
at once, in justice to himself, to the Community, and to
the world, to leave the Association. To these views we
hereby affix our respective signatures.
"Assented to by all, except O. A. Johnson, of
Syracuse ; J. Josephine Johnson, do. ; William Kennedy,
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 167
do. ; Solomon Johnson, of Martinsburgh ; and William
C. Besson, of Lynn, Massachusetts."
This was too strong, and had to be repudiated the
next spring by the following editorial in the Com-
munitist :
" Creeds. — Our friends abroad require us to say a few
words under this head.
"We repudiate all creeds, sects, and parties, in what-
ever shape or form they may present themselves. Our
principles are as broad as the universe, and as liberal as
the elements that surround us. They forbid the adop-
tion and maintenance of any creed, constitution, rules
of faith, declarations of belief and disbelief, touching
any or all subjects ; leaving each individual free to think,
believe and disbelieve, as he or she may be moved by
knowledge, habit, or spontaneous impulses. Belief and
disbelief are founded upon some kind of evidence, which
may be satisfactory to the individual to-day, but which
other or better evidence may change to-morrow. We
estimate the man by his acts rather than by his peculiar
belief We say to all, Believe what you may, but act as
well as you can.
" These principles do not deny to any one the right to
draw out his peculiar views — his belief and disbelief — on
paper, and present them for the consideration and
adoption of others. Nor do we deny the fact that such
a thing has been done even with us. But we are happy
to inform all our friends and the world at large, that
such a document was not fully assented to and was
never adopted by the Community ; and that the authors
were among the first to discover the error and retrace
the step. The document, with all proceedings under it,
l68 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
or relating thereto, has long since been abolished and
repudiated by unanimous consent ; and we now feel
ourselves to be much wiser and better than when we
commenced."
It will be noticed that there was a party in the
Community, headed by Q. A. Johnson, who saw the
error of the creed before Collins did, and refused to
sign it. This Johnson and his party made much
trouble for Collins ; and the whole plot of the Com-
munity-drama turns on the struggle between these
two men, as the reader will see in the sequel.
Macdonald says, " A calamitous error was made in
the deeding of the property. It appears that Mr.
Collins, who purchased the property, and whose ex-
periment it really was, permitted the name of another
man [Q. A. J.] to be inserted in the deed, as a trustee,
in connection with his own. He did this to avoid even
the suspicion of selfishness. But his confidence was
misplaced ; as the individual alluded to subsequently
acted both selfishly and dishonestly. Mr. Collins and
his friends had to contend with the opposition of this
person and one or two others during a great portion of
the time."
Mr. Finch, an Owenite, writing to the New Moral
World, August i6, 1845, says:
"Mr. Collins held to no-government or non-resistance
principles : and while he claimed for the Community the
right to receive and reject members, he refused to appeal
to the government to aid him in expelling impostors, in-
truders and unruly members ; which virtually amounted
to throwing the doors wide open for the reception of all
kinds of worthless characters. In consequence of his
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 169
efforts to reduce that principle to practice, the Com-
munity soon swarmed with an indolent, unprincipled and
selfish class of * reformers,' as they termed themselves ;
one of whom, a lawyer [Q. A. J.], got half the estate
into his own hands, and well-nigh ruined the concern.
Mr. Collins, from his experience, at length became
convinced of his errors as to these new-fangled Yankee
notions, and has now abandoned them, recovered the
property, got rid of the worthless and dissatisfied mem-
bers, restored the society to peace and harmony, and
they are now employed in ftjrming a new Constitution
for the society, in agreement with the knowledge they
have all gained by the last two years' experience.
"Owing to the dissensions that arose from their de-
fective organization at the first, a considerable number
of the residents have either been dismissed, or have
withdrawn from the place. The population, therefore,
at present numbers only eleven adult male members,
eight female, and seven children. The whole number
of members, male and female, labor most industriously
from six till six ; and having large orders for their saw-
mill and turning shop, they work them night and day,
with two sets of men, working each twelve hours — the
saw-mill and turning shop being their principal sources
of revenue."
The Communitist, September i8, 1845, about two
years after the commencement of the Community, and
eight months before its end, gives the following picture
of its experiences and prospects, from the lively pen
of Mr. Collins :
" Most happy are we to inform our readers and the
friends of Community in general, that our prospects of
170 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
success are now cheering. The dark clouds which so
long hung over our movement, and at times threatened
not only to destroy its peace, but its existence, have at
last disappeared. We now have a clear sky, and the
genial rays of a brilliant sun once more are radiating
upon us. Our past experience, though grievous, will be
of great service to us in our future progress, and will
no doubt ultimately work out the fruits of unity, in-
dustry, abundance, intelligence and progress. It has
taught us how far we may, in safety to our enterprise,
advance ; that some important steps may be taken, of
the practicability of which we had doubts ; and others,
in the success of which we had but little faith, have
proved both safe and expedient. Our previous convic-
tions have been confirmed, that all is not gold that
glitters ; that not all who are most clamorous for reform
are competent to become successful agents for its
accomplishment ; that there is floating upon the surface
of society, a body of restless, disappointed, jealous, in-
dolent spirits, disgusted with our present social system,
not because it enchains the masses to poverty, ignorance,
vice and endless servitude ; but because they could not
render it subservient to their private ends. Experience
has convinced us that this class stands ready to mount
every new movement that promises ease, abundance,
and individual freedom ; and that when such an enter-
prise refuses to interpret license for freedom, and insists
that members shall make their strength, skill and talent
subservient to the movement, then the cry of tyranny
and oppression is raised against those who advocate
such industry and self-denial ; then the enterprise must
become a scape-goat, to bear the fickleness, indolence,
selfishness and envy of this class. But the above is not
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. I7I
the only class of minds that our cause convened. From
the great, noble, and disinterested principles which it
embraces, from the high hopes which it inspires for pro-
gress, reform and, in a word, for human redemption, it
has called many true reformers, genuine philanthro-
pists, men and women of strong hands, brave hearts
and vigorous minds.
" Our enterprise, the most radical and reformatory in
its profession, gathers these two extremes of character,
from motives diametrically opposite. When these are
brought together, it is reasonable to expect that, like an
acid and alkali, they will effervesce, or, like the two
opposite poles of a battery, will repel each other. For
the last year it has been the principal object of the
Community to rid itself of its cumbersome material,
knowing that its very existence hinged upon this point.
In this it has been successful. Much of this material
was hired to go at an expense little if any short of three
thousand dollars. People will marvel at this. But the
Community, in its world-wide philanthropy, cast to the
winds its power to expel unruly and turbulent members,
which gave our quondam would-be-called ' Reformers,'
an opportunity to reduce to practice, their real princi-
ples. In this winnowing process it would be somewhat
remarkable if much good wheat had not been carried
off with the chaff
"Communities and Associations, in their commence-
ment too heavily charged with an impracticable, inex-
perienced, self-sufficient, gaseous class of mind, have
generally exploded before they were conscious of the
combustible material they embraced, or had acquired
strength or experience sufficient to guard themselves
against those elements which threaten their destruction.
172 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
With a small crew well acclimated, we have doubled the
cape, and are now upon a smooth sea, heading for the
port of Communism.
" The problem of social reform must be solved by its
own members ; by those possessed of living faith,
indomitable perseverance, unflinching devotion and un-
dying energy. The vicious, the sick, the infirm, the
indolent, can not at present be serviceable to our cause.
Community should neither be regarded in the light of a
poor-house nor hospital. Our object is not so much to
give a home to the poor, as to demonstrate to them their
own power and resources, and thereby ultimately to
destroy poverty. We make money no condition of
membership ; but poverty alone is not a sufficient quali-
fication to secure admission. Stability of character,
industrious habits, physical energy, moral strength,
mental force, and benevolent feelings, are characteristics
indispensable to a valuable Communist. A Community
of such members has an inexhaustible mine of wealth,
though not in possession of one dollar. Do not under-
stand by this that we reject either men or money, simply
because they happen to be united. The more wealth a
good member brings, the better. It is, however, the
smallest of all qualifications, in and of itself There
should be at first as few non-producers as possible.
Single men and women and small families are best
adapted to our condition and circumstances. In the
commencement, the less children the better. It would
be desirable to have none but the children born on the
domain. Then they would grow up with an undivided
Community feeling. Through the agency of such is
our cause to be successfully carried forward. A man
with a large family of non-producing children, must
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 173
possess extraordinary powers, to justify his admission."
Macdonald thus conckides the tale : " After the
experiment had progressed between two and three years,
Mr. Collins became convinced that he and his fellow
members could not carry out in practice the Community
idea. He resolved to abandon the attempt ; and calling
the members together, explained to them his feelings on
the subject. He resigned the deed of the property into
their hands, and soon after departed from Skaneateles,
like one who had lost his nearest and dearest friend.
Most of the members left soon after, and the Com-
munity quietly dissolved.
" This experiment did not fail through pecuniary
embarassment. The property was worth twice as much
when the Community dissolved, as it was at first ; and
was much more than sufficient to pay all debts. So it
may be truly Said, that this experiment was given up
through a conviction in the mind of the originator, that
the theory of the Community could not be carried out in
practice — that the attempt was premature, and the
necessary conditions did not yet exist. The Community
ended in May 1846."
Mr. Collins subsequently acknowledged in the public
prints his abandonment of the schemes of philanthropy
and social improvement in which he had been conspicu-
ous ; and returned, as a socialistic paper expressed it,
"to the decencies and respectabilities of orthodox
Whiggery."
For side-lights to this general sketch which we have
collected from Macdonald, Finch and Collins, we have
consulted the files of the Phalanx and the Harbinger.
The following is all we find :
The Phalanx, September 7, 1844, mentions that the
174 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Communitist has reached its seventh number — has been
enlarged and improved— has changed its terms from
gratis to ;^i.oo per year in advance — congratulates the
Community on this improvement, but criticises its
fundamental principle of Communism.
The Harbinger, September 14, 1845, quotes a Roches-
ter paper as saying that " the Skaneateles concern has
been sifted again and again of its chaff or wheat, we
hardly know which, until, from a very wild republic, it
appears verging toward a sober monarchy ; i. e., toward
the unresisted sway of a single mind." On this the
Harbinger remarks : \
" The Skaneateles Community, so far from being a
Fourier institution, has been in open and bitter hostility
with that system ; no man has taken stronger ground
against the Fourier movement than its founder, Mr.
John Collins ; and although of late it has somewhat
softened in its opposition to the views of Fourier, it is
no- more in unison with them than it is with the doc-
trines of the Presbyterian Church, or the 'domestic
arrangements' of South Carolina. We understand that
Mr. Collins has essentially modified his ideas in regard
to a true social order, since he commenced at Skan-
eateles ; that he finds many principles to which he was
attached in theory, untenable in practice ; and that
learning wisdom by experience, he is now aiming at
results which are more practicable in their nature, than
those which he had deeply at heart in the commence-
ment. But with the most friendly feelings toward Mr.
Collins and the Skaneateles Community, we declare that
it has no connection with Association on the plan
of Fourier ; it is strictly speaking a Community of
property — a system which we reject as the grave of lib-
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 1/5
erty ; though incomparably superior to the system of
violence and fraud which is upheld in the existing order
of society."
In the Harbinger o{ September 27, 1845, Mr. Ripley
writes in friendly terms of the brightening prospects
of the Skaneateles Community ; objects to its Com-
munistic principles and its hostility to religion ; with
these exceptions thinks well of it and wishes it success.
In the Harbinger of November 20, 1847, ^ ys^-'" ^.nd
more after the decease of the Community, an enthusi-
astic Associationist says that several defunct Pha-
lanxes— the Skaneateles among the rest — "are not
dead, but only asleep ; and will wake up by and by to
new and superior life ! "
Several members of the Oneida Community had
more or less personal knowledge of the Skaneateles
experiment. At our request they have written what
they remember ; which we present in conclusion, as the
nearest we can get to an " inside view. "
RECOLLECTIONS OF H. J. SEYMOUR.
" My acquaintance with the Skaneateles Community
was limited to what I gathered under the following
circumstances : John A. Collins lectured on Association
in Westmoreland, near where I lived, in 1843. His
eloquence had some effect on my father and his family,
and on me among the rest. In the fall, when the
Community started, my father sent my brother, then
eighteen years old, with a wagon and yoke of oxen, to
the Community. He remained there till nearly the
middle of winter, when he returned home, ostensibl}^ by
invitation of my mother, who had become alarmed by
1/6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the reports and evidences of the infidehty of Collins and
his associates ; but I am inclined to think my brother
was ready to leave, having satisfied his aspirations for
that kind of Communism. The next summer I made a
call of a few hours at the Community in company with
my mother; but most of my information about it is
derived from my brother.
" He spoke of Collins as full of fiery zeal, and a kind
of fussy officiousness in business, but lacking in good
judgment. To figure abroad as a lecturer was thought
to be his appropriate sphere. The other most prominent
leader was Q. A. Johnson of Syracuse. I have heard
him represented as a long-headed, tonguey lawyer. The
question to be settled soon after my brother's arrival,
was, on which of the falls the saw-mill and machine-shop
should be built. Collins said it should be on one ;
Johnson said it should be on the other ; and the dispute
waxed warm between them. I judge, from what my
brother told me, that the conflict between these two
men and their partisans raged through nearly the whole
life of the Community, and was finally ended only by the
withdrawal of Johnson, in consideration of a pretty
round sum of money.
" My brother did not make a practice of attending
th6ir evening meetings, for the reason that he was one
of the hard workers and could not afford it ; as there was
an amount of disputing going on that was very weari-
some to the flesh,
"The question of diet was one about which the
Community was greatly exercised. And there seems to
have been an inner circle, among whom the dietetic
furor worked with special violence. For the purpose of
living what they considered a strictly natural life, they
SKANEATELES COMMUNITY. 1 77
betook themselves to an exclusive diet of boiled wheat,
and built themselves a shanty in the woods ; hoping to
secure long life and happiness by thus getting nearer to
nature. "
RECOLLECTIONS OF E. L. HATCH.
" I visited the Skaneateles Community twice, partly
on business, and partly by request of a neighbor who
was about to join, and wished me to join with him. I
was received pleasantly and treated well. The first time,
they gave me a cup of tea and bread and butter for
supper. I told them I wished to fare as the rest did.
They said it was usual for them to give visitors what
they were accustomed to ; but they were looking forward
to some reform in this respect. In the morning I
noticed that some poured milk on their plates, laid a
slice of bread in it, and cut it into mouthfuls before
eating. Some used molasses instead of milk. There
was not much of the home-feeling there. Every one
seemed to be setting an example, and trying to bring all
the others to it. The second time I was there I discov-
ered there were two parties. One man remarked to
another on seeing meat on the table, that he ' guessed
they had been to some grave-yard.' The other said he
'did not eat dead creatures.' After supper I was stand-
ing near some men in the sitting-room, when one said to
another, ' How high is your God .-■ ' The answer was,
' About as high as my head.' The first, putting his
hand up to his breast, said , ' Mine is so high.' I con-
cluded they were infidels."
RECOLLECTIONS OF L. VANVELZER.
" I attended a Convention of Associationists held near
the Skaneateles Community in 1845, and became very
178 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
much interested in the principles set forth by John A.
Collins and his friends. There was much excitement at
that time all through the country in regard to Associa-
tion. Quite a number came from Boston and joined the
Skaneateles Community. Johnson and Collins seemed
to be the two leading spirits. Collins was a strong
advocate of infidel principles, and was very intolerant to
all religious sects ; while Johnson advocated religious
principles and general toleration. In becoming ac-
quainted with these two men, I was naturally drawn
toward Johnson ; this created jealousy between them.
Mrs. Vanvelzer and myself talked a great deal about
selling out and going there ; but before we had made
any practical move, I began to see that there was not
any unity among them, but on the contrary a great deal
of bickering and back-biting. I became disgusted with
the whole affair. But my wife did not see things as I
did at that time. She was determined to go, and did go.
At the expiration of three or four weeks I went to see
her, and found she was becoming dissatisfied. In
consequence of her joining them, there had been a
regular quarrel detween the two parties, and it resulted
in a rupture. They had a meeting that lasted nearly all
night ; Johnson and his party standing up for Mrs.
Vanvelzer, and Collins and his party against her.
Some went so far as to threaten Johnson's life. This
state of things went on until they broke up, which was
only a short time after Mrs. Vanvelzer left."
RFXOLLECTIONS OF MRS. S. VANVELZER.
"In the winter of 1845 Mr. Collins and others asso-
ciated with him lectured in Baldwinsville, where I then
resided. My husband was interested in their teachings,
SKANEATKLES COMMUNITY. 1 79
and invited them to our house, where I had more or less
conversation with them. They set forth their scheme in
glowing- colors, and professed that the doings of the day
of Pentecost were their foundation ; and withal they
flattered me considerably, telling me I was just the
woman to go to the Community and help carry out their
principles and build up a home for humanity.
" Well, I went ; but I was disappointed. Nothing
was as represented ; but back-biting, evil-thinking, and
quarreling were the order of the day They set two
tables in the same dining-room ; one provided with ordi-
nary food, though rather sparingly ; the other with boiled
wheat, rice and Graham mush, without salt or seasoning
of any kind. They kept butter, sugar and milk under
lock and key, and in fact almost every thing else. They
had amusements, such as dancing, card-playing, check-
ers, etc. There were some ' affinity ' affairs among them,
which caused considerable gossiping. I remained there
three weeks, and came away disgusted ; but firm in the
belief that Christian Communism would be carried out
sometime."
Allen and Orvis, the lecturing missionaries of
Fourierism sent out by Brook Farm in 1847, passed
through Central New York in the course of their tour,
and in their reports of their experiences to the Har-
binger, thus bewailed the disastrous effects of Colli ns's
experiment :
" In Syracuse our meetings were almost a failure.
Collins's Skaneateles 'Hur>t of Harmony,' or fight to
conquer a peace, his infidelity, his disastrous failure after
making such an outcry in behalf of a better order of
l80 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
society, and the ignorance of the people, who have not
inteUigence enough to discriminate between a true
Constructive Reform, and the No-God, No-Government,
No-Marriage, No-Money, No-Meat, No-Salt, No-Pepper
system of Community, but think that Collins was a
' Furyite' just like ourselves, has closed the ears of the
people in this neighborhood against our words."
I«I
CHAPTER XVI.
SOCIAL ARCHITECTS.
Thus far we have been disposing of the preludes of
Fourierism. Before commencing the memoirs of the
regular Phalanxes (which is the proper name of the
Fourier Associations), we will devote a chapter or two
to general views of Fourierism, as compared with other
forms of Socialism, and as it was practically developed
in this country.
Parke Godwin was one of the earliest and ablest of
the American expositors of Fourierism ; second only,
perhaps, to Albert Brisbane. In his ''Popular View of
the Doctrines of Charles Fourier" (an octavo pamphlet
of 1 20 pages published in 1844), he has a chapter on
" Social Architects," in which he proposes the following
classification :
" These daring and original spirits arrange themselves
in three classes ; the merely Theoretical ; the simply
Practical ; and the Theoretico-Practical combined. In
other words, the Social Architects whom we propose to
consider, may be described as those who ideally plan the
new structure of society ; those who set immediately to
work to make a new. structure, without any very large
1 82 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and comprehensive plan ; and those who have both de-
vised a plan and attempted its actual execution.
" I. The Theoretical class is one which is most numer-
ous, but whose claims are the least worthy of attention.
[Under this head, Mr. Godwin mentions Plato, Sir
Thomas More and Harrington, and discusses their
imaginative projects — the Republic, Utopia and Oceana.]
" II. The Practical Architects of Society, or the Com-
munities instituted to exemplify a more perfect state of
social life. [The Essenes, Moravians, Shakers and
Rappites are mentioned under this head.]
" III. The Theoretico-Practical Architects of Society,
or those who have combined the enunciation of general
principles of social organization with actual experi-
ments, of whom the best representatives are St. Simon,
Robert Owen and Charles Fourier. This class will
extend the basis of our inquiries, and demand a more
elaborate consideration."
This classification, if it had not gone beyond the popu-
lar pamphlet in which it was started, might have been
left without criticism. But it is substantially reproduced
in the New American Cyclopaedia under the head of
" Socialism," and thus has become a standard doctrine.
We will therefore point out what we conceive to be its
errors, and indicate a truer classification.
In the first place, from the account of St. Simon
and Fourier which Mr. Godwin himself gives immedi-
ately after the last of his three headings, it is clear that
they did not belong to the theoretico-practical class.
St. Simon undertook to perfect himself in all knowl-
edge, and for this purpose experimented in many things,
good and bad ; but it does not appear that he ever tried
SOCIAL ARCHITECTS. 183
his hand at Communism or Association of any kind.
He published a book called " New Christianity," of
which Godwin says :
" It was an attempt to show, what had been often be-
fore attempted, that the spirit and practice of religion
were not at one ; that there was a wide chasm separ-
ating the revelation from the commentary, the text
from the gloss, the Master from the Disciples. Nothing
could have been more forcible than its attacks on the
existing church, in which the Pope and Luther received
an equal share of the blows. He convicted both parties
of errors without number, and heresies the most mon-
strous. But he did not carry the same vigor into the
development of the positive portions of his thought.
He ceased to be logical, that he might be sentimental.
Yet the truth which he insisted on was a great one —
perhaps the greatest, viz., that the fundamental principle
in the constitution of society, should be Love. Christ
teaches all men, he says, that they are brothers ; that
humanity is one ; that the true life of the individual is
in the bosom of his race ; and that the highest Jaw of
his being is the law of progress."
On the basis of this sentimentalism, St. Simon
appealed most eloquently to all classes to unite — to
march as one man — to inscribe on their banners, " Para-
dise on earth is before us ! " but Godwin says :
"Alas I the magnanimous spirit which could utter these
thrilling words was not destined to see their realization.
The long process of starvation finally brought St.
Simon to his end ; but in the sufterings of death, as in
the agony of life, his mind retained its calmness and
sympathy, and he perished with these words of sublime
confidence and hope on his lips : ' The future is ours ! '
184 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" The few devoted friends who stood round that death-
bed, took up the words, and began the work of propaga-
tion. The doctrine rapidly spread ; it received a more
precise and comprehensive development under the ex-
positions of Bazard and Enfantan ; and a few years saw
a new family, which was also a new church, gathered at
Menilmontant. On its banner was inscribed, ' To each,
according to his capacity, and to each capacity according
to its work.' Its government took the form of a religious
hierarchy, and its main political principle was the aboli-
tion of inheritance.
" It was evident that a society so constituted could
not long be held together. Made up of enthusiasts,
without definite principles of organization, trusting to
feeling and not to science, its members soon began to
quarrel, and the latter days of its existence were stained
by disgusting license. St. Simon was one of the noblest
spirits, but an unfit leader of any enterprise. He saw
all things, says a friendly critic, through his heart. In
this was his weakness ; he wanted head ; he wanted
precise notions ; he vainly hoped to reconstruct society
by a sentiment ; he laid the foundations of his house on
sand."
What is there in all this that entitles St. Simon to a
place among the theoretico-practicals .-' How does it
appear that he "combined the enunciation of general
principles of social organization with actual experi-
ments.''" His followers tried to do something; but
St. Simon himself, according to this account, did
absolutely nothing but write and talk ; and far from
being a theoretico-practical, was not even theoretical,
but only sentimental !
SOCIAL ARCHITECTS. 185
Fourier was theoretical enough. But we look in vain
through Mr. Godwin's account of him for any signs of
the practical. He meditated much and wrote many
books, and that is all. He was a student and a recluse
to the end of his career. Instead of engaging in any
practical attempt to realize his social theories, he
quarreled with the only experiment that was made by
his disciples during his life. Godwin says :
"A joint-stock company was formed in 1832, to
realize the new theory of Association ; and one gentle-
man, M. Baudet Dulary, member of parliament for the
county of Seine and Oise, bought an estate, which cost
him five hundred thousand francs (one hundred thousand
dollars), for the express purpose of putting the theory
into practice. Operations were actually commenced ;
but for want of sufficient capital to erect buildings and
stock the farm, the whole operation was paralyzed ; and
notwithstanding the natural cause of cessation, the
simple fact of stopping short after having commenced
operations, made a very unfavorable impression upon the
public mind. Success is the only criterion with the
indolent and indifferent, who do not take the trouble to
reason on circumstances and accidental difBculties.
" Fourier was very much vexed at the precipitation of
his partisans, who were too impatient to wait until
sufficient means had been obtained. They argued that
the fact of having commenced operations would attract
the attention of capitalists, and insure the necessary
funds. He begged them to beware of precipitation ; told
them how he had been deceived himself in having to
Avait more than twenty years for a simple hearing, which,
from the importance of his discovery, he had fully
1 86 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
expected to obtain immediately. All his entreaties were
in vain. They told him he had not obtained a hearing
sooner because he was not accustomed to the duplicity
of the world ; and confident in their own judgment,
commenced without hesitation, and were taught, at
the expense of their own imprudence, to appreciate
more correctly the sluggish indifference of an ignorant
public. "
Not only did Fourier thus wholly abstain from prac-
tical experiments himself and discourage those of others
during his lifetime, but he condemned in advance all the
experiments that have since been made in his name.
He set the conditions of a legitimate experiment so
high, that it has been thus far impossible to make a fair
trial of Fourierism, and probably always will be. How
Mr. Godwin could imagine him to be one of the
theoretico-practicals, we do not understand. His sys-
tem seems to us to have been as thoroughly separate
from experiment, as it was possible for him to make it ;
and in that sense, as far removed from the modern
standards of science, as the east is from the west. It
can be defended only as a theory that came by inspira-
tion or intuition, and therefore needs no experiment.
Considered simply as the result of human lucubrations,
it belongs with the a priori theories of the ancient world,
of which Youmans says: "The old philosophers, dis-
daining nature, retired into the ideal world of pure
meditation, and holding that the mind is the measure of
the universe, they believed they could reason out all
truths from the depths of the soul."
Owen, Mr. Godwin's third example, was really a
theorctico-practical man ; i. e. he attempted to carry his
SOCIAL ARCHITECTS. 1 87
theories into practice — with what success we have seen.
Instead of classing St. Simon and Fourier with him, we
should name Ballou and Cabet as his proper compeers.
Another error of Mr. Godwin is, in representing Plato
as merely theoretical ; meaning that the Republic, like
the Utopia and Oceana, was " sketched as an exercise of
the imagination or reason, rather than as a plan for
actual experiment." It is recorded of Plato in the
American Cyclopaedia, that " he made a journey to
Syracuse in the vain hope of realizing, through the new-
crowned younger Dionysius, his ideal Republic." Thus,
though he never made an actual experiment, he wished
and intended to do so ; which is quite as much as St.
Simon and Fourier ever did.
Mr. Godwin seems also to underrate the Practical
Architects : i. e. those that we have called the successful
Communities. It is hardly fair to represent them as
merely practical. The Shakers certainly have a theory
which is printed in a book ; and there is no reason to
doubt that such thinkers as Rapp, and Bimeler of the
Zoarites, and the German nobleman that led the
Ebenezers, had socialistic ideas which they either
worked by or worked out in their practical operations,
and which would compare favorably at least with the
sentimentalisms of the first French school. If St. Simon
and Owen and Fourier are to be called the theoretico-
practicals, such workers as Ann Lee, Elder Meacham,
Rapp, and Bimeler ought at least to be called the
practico-theoreticals.
Indeed these Practical Architects, who have actually
given the world examples of successful Communism,
have certainly contributed more to the great socialistic
movement of modern times, than they have credit for in
1 88 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Godwin's classification, or in public opinion. We called
attention, in the course of our sketch of the Owen
movement, to the fact that Owen and his disciples
studied the social economy of the Rappites, and were
not only indebted to 'them for the village in which they
made their great experiment, but leaned on them for
practical ideas and hopes of success. These facts came
to us at the first without our seeking them. But since
then we have watched occasionally, in our readings of
the socialistic journals and books, for indications that
the Fourierist movement was affected in the same
way by the silent successful examples ; and we have
been surprised to see how constantly the Shakers,
PIbenezers &c., are referred to as illustrations of the
possibilities and benefits of close Association. We will
give a few examples of what we have found.
The Dial, which was the nurse of Brook Farm
and of the beginnings of Fourierism in this country,
has two articles devoted to the Shakers. One of them
entitled "A Day with the Shakers," is an elaborate and
very favorable exhibition of their doctrines and manner
of life. It concludes with the following observation :
" The world as yet but slightingly appreciates the
domestic and humane virtues of this recluse people ;
and we feel that in a record of attempts for the actual-
ization of a better life, their designs and economies
should not be omitted, especially as, during their first
half century, they have had remarkable success.
The other article, entitled the "Millennial Church,"
is a flattering review of a Shaker book. In it occurs
the following paragraph :
" It is interesting to observe, that while Fourier in
SOCIAL ARCHITECTS. 1 89
France was speculating on the attainment of many-
advantages by union, these people have, at home,
actually attained them. Fourier has the merit of beau-
tiful words and theories ; and their importation from a
foreign land is made a subject for exultation by. a large
and excellent portion of our public ; but the Shakers
have the superior merit of excellent actions and
practices ; unappreciated, perhaps, because they are not
exotic. ' Attractive Industry and Moral Harmony, '
on which Fourier dwells so promisingly, have long
characterized the Shakers, whose plans have always in
view the passing of each individual into his or her right
position, and of providing suitable, pleasant, and profit-
able employment for every one."
Miss Peabody, in the article entitled "Christ's Idea
of Society," from which we quoted in a former chapter,
thus refers to the practical Communities :
"The temporary success of the Hernhutters, the
Moravians, the Shakers, and even the Rappites, has
cleared away difficulties and solved problems of social
science. It has been made plain that the material goods
of life, ' the life that now is,' are not to be sacrificed
(as by the anchorite) in doing fuller justice to the social
principle. It has "been proved, that with the same
degree of labor, there is no way to compare with that
of working in a Community, banded by some sufficient
Idea to animate the will of the laborers. A greater
quantity of wealth is procured with fewer hours of toil,
and without any degradation of the laborer. All these
Communities have demonstrated what the practical Dr.
Franklin said, that if every one worked bodily three
hours daily, there would be no necessity of any one's
working more than three hours."
IQO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
A writer in The Tribune (1845) ^^ the end of a glow-
ing account of the Ebenezers, says :
" The labor they have accomplished and the improve-
ments they have made are surprising; it speaks well for
the superior efficiency of combined effort over isolated
and individual effort. A gentleman who accompanied
me, and who has seen the whole western part of this
State settled, observed that they had made more im-
provements in two years, than were made in our most
flourishing villages when first settled, in five or six."
In The Harbinger (1845) Mr. Brisbane gives an
account of his visit to the same settlement, and
concludes as follows :
'• It is amazing to see the work which these people
have accomplished in two years ; they have cleared
large fields, and brought them under cultivation ; they
have built, I should judge, forty comfortable houses,
handsomely finished and painted white ; many are quite
large. They have the frame-work for quite an additional
number prepared ; they are putting up a large woolen
manufactory, which is partly finished ; they have six or
eight large barns filled with their crops, and others erect-
ing, and some minor branches of manufactures. I was
amazed at the work accomplished in less than two years.
It testifies powerfully in favor of combined effort."
But enough for specimens. Such references to the
works of the Practical Architects are scattered every-
where in socialistic literature. The conclusion toward
which they lead is, that the successful religious Com-
munities, silent and unconspicuous as they are, have
been, after all, the specie-basis of the entire socialistic
movement of modern times. A glimmering of this idea
SOCIAL ARCHITECTS. IQI
seems to have been in Mr. Godwin's mind, when he
wrote the following:
" If, in spite of their ignorance, their mistakes, their
imperfections, and their despotisms, the worst of these
societies, which have adopted, with more or less favor,
unitary principles, have succeeded in accumulating
immeasurable wealth, what might have been done by a
Community having a right principle of organization and
composed of intellectual and upright men .'' Accordingly
the discovery of such a principle has become an object
of earnest investigation on the part of some of the most
acute and disinterested men the world ever saw. This
inquiry has given rise to our third divison, called theo-
retico-practical architects of society."
The great facts of modern Socialism are these : From
1776 — the era of our national Revolution — the Shakers
have been established in this country ; first at two
places in New York ; then at four places in Massachu-
setts ; at two in New Hampshire ; two in Maine ; one
in Connecticut ; and finally at two in Kentucky, and
two in Ohio. In all these places prosperous religious
Communism has been modestly and yet loudly preach-
ing to the nation and the world. New England and
New York and the great West have had actual Pha-
lanxes before their eyes for nearly a century. And in
all this time what has been acted on our American
stage, has had England, France and Germany for its
audience. The example of the Shakers has demon-
strated, not merely that successful Communism is sub-
jectively possible, but that this nation is free enough to
let it grow. Who can doubt that this demonstration was
known and watched in Germany from the beginning ;
192 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and that it helped the successive experiments and
emigrations of the Rappites, the Zoarites and the
Ebenezers ? These experiments, we have seen, were
echoes of Shakerism, growing fainter and fainter, as the
time-distance increased. Then the Shaker movement
with its echoes was sounding also in England, when
Robert Owen undertook to convert the world to Com-
munism ; and it is evident enough that he was really a
far-off follower of the Rappites. France also had heard
of Shakerism, before St. Simon or Fourier began to
meditate and write Socialism. These men were nearly
contemporaneous with Owen, and all three evidently
obeyed a common impulse. That impulse was the
sequel and certainly in part the effect of Shakerism.
Thus it is no more than bare justice to say, that we are
indebted to the Shakers more than to any or all other
Social Architects of modern times. Their success has
been the solid capital that has upheld all the paper
theories, and counteracted the failures, of the French
and English schools. It is very doubtful whether
Owenism or Fourierism would have ever existed, or if
they had, whether they would have ever moved the prac-
tical American nation, if the facts of Shakerism had
not existed before them, and gone along with them.
But to do complete justice we must go a step further.
While we say that the Rappites, the Zoarites, the
Ebenezers, the Owenites, and even the Fourierites are
all echoes of the Shakers, we must also acknowledge
that the Shakers are the far-off echoes of the Primitive
Christian Church.
193
CHAPTER XVII.
FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIALISM.
The main idea on which Owen and Fourier worked was
the same. Both proposed to reconstruct society by
gathering large numbers into unitary dwellings. Owen
had as clear sense of the compound economies of Asso-
ciation as Fourier had, and discoursed as eloquently, if
not as scientifically, on the beauties and blessings of
combined industry. Both elaborated plans for vast
buildings, which they proposed to substitute for ordinary
family dwellings. Owen's communal edifice was to be a
great hollow square, somewhat like a city block.
Fourier's phalanstery, on the other hand, was to be a
central palace with two wings. In like manner their
plans of reconstructing society differed in details, but
the main idea of combination in large households was
the same.
What they undertook to do may be illustrated by the
history of bee-keeping. The usual way in this business
is to provide hives that will hold only a few quarts of
bees each, and so compel new generations to swarm and
find new homes. But it has always been a problem
among ingenious apiarians, how to construct compound
hives, that will prevent the necessity of swarming, and
either allow a single swarm to increase indefinitely, or
194 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
induce many swarms to live together in contiguous
apartments. We remember there was an invention of
this kind that had quite a run about the time of the
Fourier excitement. It was not very successful ; and
yet the idea seems not altogether chimerical ; for it is
known that wild bees, in certain situations, as in large
hollow trees and in cavities among rocks, do actually
accumulate their numbers and honey from generation to
generation. Owen and Fourier, like the apiarian inven-
tors (who are proverbially unpractical), undertook to
construct, each in his own way, great compound hives
for human beings ; and they had the example of the
Shakers (who may be considered the wild bees in the
illustration) to countenance their schemes.
The difference of their methods was this : Owen's
plan was based on Communism ; Fourier's plan was
based on the Joint-stock principle. Both of these modes
of combination exist abundantly in common society.
Every family is a little example of Communism ; and
every working partnership is an example of Joint-
stockism. Communism creates homes ; Joint-stockism
manages business. Perhaps national idiosyncracies had
something to do with the choice of principles in these
two cases. Home is an English word for an English
idea. It is said there is no equivalent word in the
French language. Owen, the Englishman, chose the
home principle. Fourier, the Frenchman, chose the
business principle.
These two principles, as they exist in the world, are
not antagonistic, but reciprocal. Home is the center
from which men go forth to business ; and business is
the field from which they go home with the spoil. Home
is the charm and stimulus of business ; and business
FUNDAMENTALS. I95
provides material for the comfort and beauty of home.
This is the present practical relation between Com-
munism and Joint-stockism every-where. And these
two principles, thus working together, have had a won-
derful expansion in modern times. Every body knows
what progress has been made in Joint-stockism, from
the old-fashioned simple partnership, to the thousands
of corporations, small and great, that now do the work
of the world. But Communism has had similar progress,
from the little family circle, to the thousands of benevo-
lent institutions that are now striving to make a home
of the world. Every hospital and free school and public
library that is comforting and civilizing mankind, is an
extension of the free, loving element, that is the charm
of home. And it is becoming more and more the
fashion for men to spend the best part of their lives in
accumulating millions by Joint-stockism, and at last lay
their treasures at the feet of Communism, by endowing
great public institutions of mercy or education.
As these two principles are thus expanding side by
side, the question arises, Which on the whole is prevail-
ing and destined to prevail ? and that means, which is
primary in the order of truth, and which is secondary.^
The two great socialistic inventors seem to have taken
opposite sides on this question. Owen believed that the
grand advance which the world is about to make, will
be into Communism. Fourier as confidently believed
that civilization will ripen into universal Joint-stockism.
In all cases of reciprocal dualism, there is manifestly a
tendency to mutual absorption, coalescence and unity.
Where shall we end .-* in Owenism or Fourierism.'' Or
will a combination of both keep its place in the world
hereafter, as it has done hitherto.'' and if so which will
196 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
be primary and which secondary, and how will they be
harmonized ? We do not propose to answer these
questions, but only to help the study of them, as we
proceed with our history.
A few facts, however, may be mentioned in passing,
which lead toward some solution of them. One is, that
the changes which are going on in the laws of marriage,
are in the direction of Joint-stockism. The increase of
woman's independence and separate property, is mani-
festly introducing Fourierism into the family circle,
which is the oldest sanctuary of Communism. Ikit over
against this is the fact, that all the successful attempts
at Socialism go in the other direction, toward Commu-
nism. Providence has presented Shakerism, which is
Communism in the concrete, and Owenism, which is
Communism in theory, to the attention of this country
in advance of Fourierism ; and there are many signs
that the third great socialistic movement, which many
believe to be impending, will be a returning wave of
Communism. All these facts together might be inter-
preted as indicating that Joint-Stockism is devouring
the institutions of the past, while Communism is seizing
the institutions of the future.
It must not be forgotten that, in representing Owen
as the exponent of Communism, and Fourier as the
exponent of Joint-stockism, we refer to their theoretical
principles, and not at all to the experiments that have
been made in their name. Those experiments were
invariably compromises, and nearly all alike. We doubt
whether there was ever an Owen Community that
attempted unconditional Communism, even of worldly
goods. Certainly Owen himself never got beyond
provisional experiments, in which he held on to his land.
FUNnAMENTALS. IQ/
And on the other hand, we doubt whether there was
ever a Fourier Association that came any where near
carrying out Joint-stockism, into all the minutiae of
account-keeping which pure Fourierism requires. When
we leave theories and attempt actual combinations, it is
a matter of course that we should communize as far as
we dare ; that is, as far as we can trust each other ; and
beyond that manage things as well as we can by some
kind of Joint-stockism. Experiments therefore always
fall into a combination of Owenism and Fourierism.
If we could find out the metaphysical bases of the
two principles represented respectively by Owen and
Fourier, perhaps we should see that these practical
combinations of them are, after all, scientifically legiti-
mate. Let us search a little in this direction.
Our view is, that unity of life is the basis of Com-
munism; and distinction oi persons is the basis of Joint-
stockism. Property belongs to life, and so far as you
and I have consciously one life, we must hold our goods
in common ; but so far as distinct personalities prevail,
we must have separate properties. This statement of
course raises the old question of the Trinitarian con-
troversy, viz., whether two or more persons can have
absolutely the same life — which we will not now stoj). to
discuss. All we need to say is that, according to our
theory, if there is no such thing as unity of life between
a plurality of persons, then there is no basis for Com-
munism.
But the Communism which we find in families is
certainly based on the assumption, right or wrong, that
there is actual unity of life between husband and wife,
and between parents and children. The common law of
England and of most other countries recognizes only a
198 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
unit in the male and female head of every family. The
Bible declares man and wife to be " one flesh." Sexual
intercourse is generally supposed to be a symbol of more
complete unity in the interior life ; and children are
supposed to be branches of the one life of their parents.
This theory is evidently the basis of family Communism.
So also the basis of Bible Communism is the theory
that in Christ, believers become spiritually one ; and
the law, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," is
founded on the assumption that " thy neighbor " is, or
should be, a part of " thyself"
In this view we can reduce Communism and Joint-
stockism to one principle. The object of both is to
secure property to life. Communism looks after the
rights of the unitary life — call it affiatus if you please —
which organizes families and spiritual corporations.
Joint-stockism attends to the rights of individuals. Both
these forms of life have rights ; and as all true rights
can certainly be harmonized. Communism and Joint-
stockism should find a way to work together. But the
question returns after all. Which is primary and which
is secondary? and so we are in the old quarrel again.
Our opinion, however, is, that the long quarrel between
afflatus and personality will be decided in favor of
afflatus, and that personality will pass into the secondary
position in the ages to come.
Practically, Communism is a thing of degrees. With
a small amount of vital unity. Communism is possible
only in the limited sphere of familism. With more
unity, public institutions of harmony and benevolence
make their appearance. With another degree of unity.
Communism of external property becomes possible, as
among the Shakers. With still higher degrees, Com-
FUNDAMENTALS. I99
munism may be introduced into the sexual and propa-
gative relations. And in all these cases the correlative
principle of Joint-stockism necessarily takes charge of
all property that Communism leaves outside.
Other differences of theory, besides this fundamental
contrast of Communism and Joint-stockism, have been
insisted upon by the respective partizans of Owen and
Fourier ; but they are less important, and we shall leave
them to be exhibited incidentally in our memoirs of the
Phalanxes.
200 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XVIII.
LITERATURE OF FOURIERISM.
The exposition of Fourierism in this country com-
menced with the pubHcation of the " Social Destiny of
Man'' by Albert Brisbane, in 1840. It is very probable
that the excitement propagated by this book, turned the
thoughts of Dr. Channing and the Transcendentalists
toward Association, and led to the Massachusetts ex-
l)eriments which we have reported. Other influences
prepared the way. Religious Liberalism and Anti-
slavery were revolutionizing the world of thought, and
predisposing all lively minds to the boldest innovations.
But it is evident that the positive scheme of recon-
structing society came from France through Brisbane.
Brook Farm, Hopedale, the Northampton Community
and the Skaneateles Community struck out, each on an
independent theory of social architecture ; but they all
obeyed a common impulse ; and that impulse, so far as
it came by literature, is traceable to Brisbane's importa-
tion and translation of the writings of Charles Fourier.
The second notable movement, preparatory to the
great Fourier revival of 1843, was the opening of the
Nezv York Tribune to the teachings of Brisbane and the
Socialists. That paper was in its first volume, but
already popular and ascending towards its zenith of
LITERATURE OF FOURIER ISM. 20I
rivalry with the Herald, when one morning in the spring
of 1842, it appeared with the following caption at the
top of one of its columns:
"association; or, principles of a true organi-
zation OF SOCIETY.
" This column has been purchased by the Advocates
of Association, in order to lay their principles before the
public. Its editorship is entirely distinct from that of
the Tribune^
By this contrivance, which might be called a paper
within a paper, Brisbane became the independent editor
of a small daily, with all the Tribune s subscribers for
his readers ; and yet that journal could not be held re-
sponsible for his inculcations. It was known, however,
that Horace Greeley, the editor-in-chief, was much in
sympathy with Fourierism ; so that Brisbane had the
help of his popularity ; though the stock-company of the
Tribune was not implicated. Whether the Tribune
lifted Fourierism or Fourierism lifted the Tribune, may
be a matter of doubt ; but we are inclined to think the
paper had the best of the bargain ; as it grew steadily
afterward' to its present dimensions, and all the more
merrily for the Herald's long peristence in calling it
"our Fourierite cotemporary ; " while Fourierism, after a
year or two of glory, waned and disappeared.
Brisbane edited his column with ability for more than
a year. Our file (which is defective), extends from
March 28, 1842, to May 28, 1843. At first the socialistic
articles appeared twice a week; after August 1842,
three times a week ; and during the latter part of the
series, every day.
This was Brisbane's great opportunity, and he im-
202 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
proved it. All the popularities of Fourierism —
"Attractive Industry," Compound Economies," "De-
mocracy of Association," " Equilibrium of the Passions "
— were set before the Tribune s vast public from day to
day, with the art and zest of a young lawyer pleading
before a court already in his favor. Interspersed with
these topics were notices of socialistic meetings, reports
of Fourier festivals, toasts and speeches at celebrations
of Fourier's birthday, and all the usual stimulants of a
growing popular cause. The rich were enticed ; the
poor were encouraged ; the laboring classes were
aroused ; objections were answered ; prejudices were
annihilated ; scoffing papers were silenced ; the religious
foundations of Fourierism were triumphantly exhibited.
To show how gloriously things were going, it would
be announced on one day that " Mr Bennett has prom-
ised us the insertion of an article in this day's Herald^
in vindication of our doctrines ; " on the next, that " The
Democratic and Bostoji Quarterly Reviews, are publish-
ing a series of articles on the system from the pen of
A. Brisbane;" on the next, that "we have obtained a
large Hall, seventy-seven feet deep by twenty-five feet
wide, in Broadway, for the purpose of holding meetings
and delivering lectures."
Perhaps the reader would like to see a specimen of
Brisbane's expositions. The following is the substance
of one of his articles in the Tridune, da.tQd March, 1842;
subject — " Means of making a Practical Trial : "
" Before answering the question, How can Association
be realized .■* we will remark that we do not propose any
sudden transformation of the present system of society,
but only a regular and gradual substitution of a new
LITERATURE OF FOURIERISM. 203
order by local changes or replacement. One Association
must be started, and others will follow, without over-
throwing any true institutions in state or church, such
as universal suffrage or religious worship.
" If a few rich could be interested in the subject, a
stock company could be formed among them with a
capital of four or five hundred thousand dollars, which
would be sufficient. Their money would be safe : for the
lands, edifices, flocks, &c., of the Association, would be
mortgaged to secure it. The sum which is required
to build a small railroad, a steamship, to start an
insurance company or a bank, would establish an
Association. Could not such a sum be raised .■*
"A practical trial of Association might be made by
appropriation from a State Legislature. Millions are
now spent in constucting canals and railroads that
scarcely pay for repairs. Would it endanger the con-
stitution, injure the cause of democracy, or shock, the
consciences of politicians, if a Legislature were to
advance for an Association, half a million of dollars
secured by mortgage on its lands and personal estate ?
We fear very much that it might, and therefore not
much is to be hoped from that source.
" The truth of Association and attractive industry
could also be proved by children. A little Association
or an industrial or agricultural institution might be
established with four hundred children from the ages of
five to fifteen. Various lighter branches of agriculture
and the mechanical arts, with little tools and imple-
ments adapted to different ages, which are the delight
of children, could be prosecuted These useful occupa-
tions could, if organized according to a system which
we shall later explain, be rendered more pleasing and
204 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
attractive than are their plays at present. Such an
Association would prove the possibility of attractive
industry, and that children could support themselves by
their own labor, and obtain at the same time a superior
industrial and scientific education. The Smithsonian
bequest might be applied to such a purpose, as could
have been Girard's noble donation, which has been so
shamefully mismanaged.
"The most easy plan, perhaps, for starting an
Association would be to induce four hundred persons
to unite, and take each ;^i,ooo worth of stock, which
would form a capital of $400,000. With this sum, an
Association could be established, which could be made
to guarantee to every person a comfortable room in it
and board for life, as interest upon the investment of
$ 1 ,000 ; so that whatever reverses might happen to
those forming the Association, they would always be
certain of having two great essentials of existence — a
dwelling to cover them, and a table at which to sit.
Let us explain how this could be effected.
" The stockholders would receive one-quarter of the
total product or profits of the Association ; or if they
preferred, they would receive a fixed interest of eight
per cent. At the time of a general division of profits
at the end of the year, the stockholders would first
receive their interest, and the balance would be paid
over to those who performed the labor. A slight
deviation would in this respect take place from the
general law of Association, which is to give one-quarter
of the profits to capital, whatever they may be; but
additional inducements of security should be held out to
those who organize the first Association.
" The investment of $1,000 would yield ;^8o annual
LITERATURE OF FOURIERISM. 205
interest. With this sum the Association must guarantee
a person a dwelHng and living ; and this could be done.
The edifice could be built for $150,000, the interest
upon which, at 10 per cent., would be $15,000. Divide
this sum by 400, which is the number of persons, and
we have $37,50 per annum, for each person as rent.
Some of the apartments would consist of several rooms,
and rent for $100, others for $90, others for $80, and so
on in a descending ratio, so that about one-half of the
rooms could be rented at $ 20 per annum. A person
wishing to live at the cheapest rates would have, after
paying his rent, $60 left. As the Association would
raise all its fruit, grain, vegetables, cattle, &c., and as it
would economize immensely in fuel, number of cooks,
and every thing else, it could furnish the cheapest priced
board at $60 per annum, the second at $100, and the
third at $ 1 50. Thus a person who invested $ i ,000 would
be certain of a comfortable room and board for his in-
terest, if he lived economically, and would have whatever
he might produce by his labor in addition. He would
live, besides, in an elegant edifice surrounded by beauti-
ful fields and gardens.
" If one-half of the persons taking stock did not wish
to enter the Association at first, but to continue their
business in the world, reserving the chance of so doing
later, they could do so. Experienced and intelligent
agriculturists and mechanics would be found to take
their places ; the buildings would be gradually enlarged,
and those who remained out, could enter later as they
wished. They would receive, however, in the mean
time their interest in cash upon their capital. A family
with two or three children could enter upon taking from
$2,000 to $2,500 worth of stock.
206 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"We have not space to enter into full details, but wc
can say that the advantages and economies of com-
bination and Association are so immense, that if four
hundred persons would unite, with a capital of $1,000
each, they could establish an Association in which they
could produce, by means of economical machinery and
other facilities, four times as much by their labor as
people do at present, and live far cheaper and better
than they now can ; or which, in age or in case of mis-
fortune, would always secure them a comfortable home.
"There are multitudes of persons who could easily
withdraw ^1,000 from their business and invest it in an
establishment of this kind, and secure themselves
against any reverses which may later overtake them.
In our societies, with their constantly recurring revul-
sions and ruin, would they not be wise in so doing .-" "
With this specimen, we trust the imagination of the
reader will be able to make out an adequate picture of
Brisbane's long work in the Tribune. That work
immediately preceded the rush of Young America into
the Fourier experiments. He was beating the drum
from March 1842 till May 1843 I "^"^^ ^'^ the summer of
'43, Phalanxes by the dozen were on the march for the
new world of wealth and harmony.
On the fifth of October 1843, Brisbane entered upon
his third advance-movement by establishing in New
York City, an independent paper called The Phalanx,
devoted to the doctrines of Fourier, and edited by him-
self and Osborne Macdaniel. It professed to be a
monthly, but was published irregularly the latter part of
its time. The volume we have consists of twenty-three
numbers, the first of which is dated October 5, 1843,
LITERATURE OF FOURIERISM. 207
and the last May 28, 1845. ^^ the first number
Brisbane gives the following condensed statement of
practical experiments then existing or contemplated,
which may be considered the results of his previous
labors, and especially of his fourteen months reveille in
the Tribune:
"In Massachusetts, already " there are three small
Associations, viz., the Roxbury Community near Boston,
founded by the Rev. George Ripley ; the Hopedale Com-
munity, founded by the Rev. Adin Ballou ; and the
Northampton Community, founded by Prof Adam and
others. These Associations, or Communities, as they
are called, differ in many respects from the system of
Fourier, but they accept some of his fundamental prac-
tical principles, such as joint-stock property in real and
movable estate, unity of interests, and united domestic
arrangements, instead of living in separate houses with
separate interests. None of them have community of
property. They have been founded within the last three
years, and two of them at least, under the inspiration of
Fourier's doctrine.
" In the state of New York, there are two established
on a larger scale than those in Massachusetts : the
Jefferson County Industrial Association, at Watertown,
founded by A. M. Watson, Esq. ; and another in
Herkimer and Hamilton Counties (on the line), called
the Moorhouse Union, and founded by Mr. Moor-
house. A larger Association, to be called the Ontario
Phalanx, is now organizing at Rochester. Monroe
County.
" In Pennsylvania there are several : the principal one
is the Sylvan ia in Pike County, which has been formed
208 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
by warm friends of the cause from the cities of New
York and Albany ; Thomas W. Whitley, President, and
Horace Greeley, Treasurer. In the same county there
is another small Association, called the Social Unity,
formed principally of mechanics from New York and
Brooklyn. There is a large Association of Germans in
McKean County, Pennsylvania, commenced by the
Rev. George Ginal of Philadelphia. They own a very
extensive tract of land, over 30,000 acres we are in-
formed, and are progressing prosperously : the shares,
which were originally $100, have been sold and are now
held at $200 or more. At Pittsburg steps are taking to
establish another.
"A small Association has been commenced in Bureau
County, Illinois, and preparations are making to estab-
lish another in Lagrange County, Indiana, which will
probably be done this fall, upon quite an extensive scale,
as many of the most influential and worthy inhabitants
of that section are deeply interested in the cause.
" In Michigan the doctrine has spread quite widely.
An excellent little, paper called The Future, devoted
exclusively to the cause, published monthly, has been
established at Ann Arbor, where an Association is
projected to be called the Washtenaw Phalanx.
" In New Jersey an Association, projected upon a
larger scale than any yet started, has just been com-
menced in Monmouth County ; it is to be called the
North American Phalanx, and has been undertaken by a
company of enterprising gentlemen of the city of
Albany.
" Quite a large number of practical trials are talked
of in various sections of the United States, and it is
probable that in the course of the next year, numbers
LITEKATUKE OF FOURIERISM. 2O9
will spring into existence. These trials are upon so
small a scale, and are commenced with such limited
means, that they exhibit but a few of the features of the
system. I'hey are, however, very important commence-
ments, and are small beginnings of a reform in some of
the most important arrangements of the present social
order ; particularly its system of isolated households or
separate families, its conflicts of interest, and its uncom-
bined and incoherent system of labor."
The most important result of Brisbane's eighteen
month's labor in the Phalanx was the conversion of
Brook Farm to Fourierism. William H. Channing's
magazine, the Present, which commenced nearly at the
same time with the PJuilanx, closed its career at the end
of seven mouths, and its subscription list was transferred
to Brisbane. In the course of a year after this, Brook
Farm confessed Fourierism, changed its constitution,
assumed the title of the Brook Farm Phalanx, and on
the 14th of June 1845 commenced publishing the Har-
binger, as the successor of the PJialanx and the heir of
its subscription list. So that Brisbane's fourth advance
was the transfer of the literary responsibilities of his
cause to Brook Farm. This was a great move. A more
brilliant attorney could not have been found. The
concentrated genius of Unitarianism and Transcend-
entalism was at Brook Farm. It was the school that
trained most of the writers who have created the news-
paper and magazine literature of the present time.
Their work on the Harbinger was their first drill.
Fourierism was their first case in court. The Harbinercr
was published weekly, and extended to seven and a half
semi-annual volumes, five of which were edited and
printed at Brook Farm, and the last two and a half at
2IO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
New York, but by Brook Farm men. Its issues at
Brook Farm extend from June 14, 1845 to October 30,
1847; and at New York from November 6, 1847 to
February 10, 1849. The Phalanx and Harbinger
together cover a period of more than five years.
Other periodicals of a more provincial character, and
of course a great variety of books and pamphlets, were
among the issues of the Fourier movement ; but the
main vertebrae of its literature were the publications of
which we have given account — Brisbane's Social Destiny
of Man, his daily column in the Tribune, the monthly
Phalanx, and the weekly Harbinger.
211
CHAPTER XIX.
'IHK PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM.
AiJjEKT HkisijaiNk of cuurse was the central man of
the briUiant grouj) that imported and popularized
Fourierism. But the reader will be interested to see a
full tableau of the persons who were prominent in this
movement. We will bring them to view by presenting,
first, a list of the contributors to the Phalanx and Har-
binger, and secondly, a condensed report of one of the
National Conventions of the Fourierists.
The indexes of the Phalanx and Harbinger (eight
volumes in all), have at their heads the names of the
principal contributors ; and their initials, in connection
with the articles in the indexes, enable us to give the
number of articles written by each contributor. Thus
the reader will see at a glance, not only the leading men
of the movement, but proximately the proportion of
influence, or at least of literature, that each contributed.
Several of the names on this list are now of world-
wide fame, and many of them have attained eminence
212
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
as historians, essayists, poets, journalists or artists. A
few of them have reached the van in poHtics, and gained
public station.
WRITERS FOR THE PHALANX AND HARBINGER.
Names. No. of articles. Names. No. of articles.
John Allen, .... 2
Stephen Pearl Andrews, i
Albert Brisbane, . . 56
Geo. H. Calvert,
Wm. E. Channing.
Wm. V. Channing, i
Wm. H. Channing, 39
Otis Clapp I
J. Freeman Clarke, . i
Joseph J. Cooke, . 10
Christopher P. Cranch, g
George W. Curtis, . 10
Charles A. Dana. . 248
Hugh Doherty, . . 11
A. J. H. Duganne, . 3
John S. Dwight, . 324
George G. Foster, . . 7
Edward Giles, ... 3
Parke Godwin, . . 152
E. P. Grant, .... 4
Horace Greeley, . . 2
Frederic H. Hedge, . i
T. W. Higginson, . 10
E. Ives, Jr., .... 3
Henry James, ... 32
Wm. H. Kimball, . . i
Marx E. Lazarus, . .52
I James Russell Lowell, 2
I Osborne Macdaniel, . 47
Wm. H. Miiller, . 2
C. Neidhardt, . . . i
D. S. Oliphant, . . i
John Orvis, ... 23
Jean M. Palisse. . . 16
E. W. Parkman, . . i
Mary Spencer Pease, i
J. H. Pulte I
George Ripley, . . 315
Samuel D. Robbins, . i
Lewis W. Ryckman, . 5
J. A. Saxton, . . . i
James Sellers, ... 3
PVancis G. Shaw, . 131
Miss E. A. Starr, . . 5
W. W. Story, ... 14
Edmund Tweedy, . . 7
John. G. Whittier, . . i
J. J. Garth Wilkinson, 12
Most of these writers were in the prime of youth, and
Socialism was their first love. It would be interesting
to trace their several careers in after time, when
acquaintance with " stern reality " put another face on
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 213
their early dream, and turned them aside to other
pursuits. Certain it is, that the socialistic revival,
barren as it was in direct fruit, fertilized in many-
ways the genius of these men, and through them the
intellect of the nation.
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Report from Tke Phnlnnx condensed.
Pursuant to a call published in the Phalanx and
other papers, a Convention of Associationists assembled
on Thursday morning, the 4th of April, 1844, at Clinton
Hall, in the city of New York.
The following gentlemen were appointed officers of
the Convention :
President, George Ripley.
Vice Presidejits.
A. B. Smolnikar, Parke Godwin, Horace Greeley,
Charles A Dana, A. Brisbane, Alonzo M. Watson.
Secretat'ies.
Osborne Macdaniel, D. S. Oliphant.
Committee on the Roll and Finance.
Jjahn Allen, James P. Decker, Nathan Comstock, Jr.
Business Cofnmittee.
L. W. Ryckman, John Allen, Osborne Macdaniel,
George Ripley, Horace Greeley, Albert Brisbane,
Parke Godwin, James Kay, Charles A. Dana,
W. H. Channing, A. M. Watson, Solyman Brown.
Before proceeding to business, the secretary read
letters addressed to the Convention by a number of
societies and individuals in different parts of the United
214 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS,
States. The style of these letters may be seen in a few
brief extracts. E. P. Grant wrote:
" The day is speedily coming when justice will be
done to Fourier and his doctrines ; when monuments
will rise from ten thousand hills, surmounted by his
statue in colossal proportions, gazing upon a happy
people, whose God will be truly the Lord, because they
will live in spontaneous obedience to his eternal laws."
John White and others wrote :
" We behold in the science of associated industry, a
new social edifice, of matchless and indescribable
beauty, and true architectural symmetry! Surely, it
must be no other than that ' house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens ;' for its foundation is ju.stice,
and the superstructure, praise ; in every department of
which dwell peace and smiling plenty, and whose walls
are every where inscribed with manifold representations
of that highest Divine attribute — love."
H. H. Van Amringe wrote :
" Certainly all creation is a reflex of the mind of the
Deity, and we cannot hesitate to believe that all the
works of Divine wisdom are connected, as Fourier
teaches, by laws of groups and series of groups. To
discover these, as observers of nature discover and
combine the harmonies of astronomy, geology, botany
and chemistry, should be our aim ; and this noble and
heavenly employment, while it banishes want and misery
from our present life — destroying the spiritual death
and hell which now reign — will, under the Providence
of the most High, open to us admission into the King-
dom of the Messiah, that the will of our Father may be
done on earth as it is done in heaven."
And so on. After the reading of the letters, Wm. H.
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 21$
Channing, on behalf of the business committee, intro-
duced a series of resolutions, prefacing them with a
speech in the following vein :
" It is but giving voice to what is working in the
hearts of those now present, and of thousands whose
sympathies are at this moment with us over our whole
land, to say this is a religious meeting. Our end is to
do God's will, not our own ; to obey the command of
Providence, not to follow the leadings of human fancies.
We; stand to-day, as we believe, amid the dawn of a new
era of humanity ; and as from a Pisgah look down upon
a promised land."
The resolutions (occupying nearly two pages of the
Phalanx) commence with a long preamble of four
WJiereases about the designs of God in regard to uni-
versal unity, the call of Christendom and especially of
the United States to forward these designs, the dreadful
state of the world, &c., &c. The third resolution pro-
poses Association on Fourier's principles of Joint-
stockism, Guaranteeism, Combined Industry, Series and
Groups, &c., as the panacea of human woes. The
fourth resolution protests against "rash and fragmentary
attempts," and advises Associationists not to undertake
practical operations till they have secured the right
sort of men and women and plenty of capital. The
fifth resolution recommends that Associationists con-
centrate their efforts on experiments already commenced,
in preference to undertaking new enterprises. The
sixth resolution betrays a little distrust of Fourier, and
an inclination to keep a certain independence of him — a
symptom that the Brook Farm and Unitarian element
prevailed in the business committee. They say :
" We do not receive all the parts of his theories
2l6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
which in the pubHcations of the Fourier school are de-
nominated ' conjectural,' because Fourier gives them as
speculations, because we do not in all respects under-
stand his meaning, and because there are parts which
individually we reject ; and we hold ourselves not only
free, but in duty bound, to seek and obey truth
wherever revealed, in the word of God, the reason of
humanity, and the order of nature. For these reasons
we do not call ourselves Fourierists ; but desire to be
always publicly designated as the Associationists of the
United States of America."
It must be borne in mind, in order to understand this
caveat, that the courtship between the Massachusetts
Socialists and the Brisbane propagandists, though very
warm, had not yet proceeded to coalescence. Brook
Farm was not yet a " Phalanx." The Harbinger was yet
in futuro. And Fourier's latitudinarian speculations
about marriage and sexual matters, made a difficulty for
men of Puritan blood, that was not yet disposed of In
fact this difficulty always made a jar in the family of
American Fourierists, and probably helped on their dis-
asters and hastened their dissolution.
The seventh resolution proposes that measures be
taken for forming a National Confederation of Asso-
ciations. The eighth resolution expresses a wish for
concert of action with the Associationists of Europe,
and says :
"For this end we hereby appoint Albert Brisbane,
representative from this body, to confer with them as to
the best modes of mutual cooperation. And we assure
our brethren in Europe that the disinterestedness, ability
and perseverance with which our representative has
devoted himself to the promulgation of the doctrine of
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 21 7
Association in the United States, entitle him to their
most cordial confidence. Through him we extend to
them, with joy and trust, the right hand of fellowship ;
and may heaven soon bless all nations with a compact
of perpetual peace."
The ninth and last resolution appoints the following
gentlemen as an executive committee to edit the
Phalanx, and to do many^ other things for carrying into
effect the objects of the Convention :
Horace Greeley, Parke Godwin, James P. Decker,
Frederick Grain, Albert Brisbane, Wm. H Channing,
Edward Giles, Chas. J. Hempel, Osborne Macdaniel,
Rufus Dawes, D. S. Oliphant, Pierre Maroncelli,
of the City of New York.
Solyman Brown, Leraysville Phalanx, Bradford County,
Pennsylvania.
George Ripley, Brook Farm Association, West Roxbury,
Massachusetts.
Alonzo M. Watson, Jefferson County Industrial Asso-
ciation, New York.
E. P. Grant, Ohio Phalanx, Belmont County. Ohio.
John White, Cincinnati Phalanx, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nathan Starks, North American Phalanx, Monmouth
County, New Jersey.
On the second evening of the Convention, Parke
Godwin, on behalf of the business committee, reported
a long address to the people of the United States. It is
a powerful presentation of all the common-places of
Fourierism : the defects of present society ; organiza-
tion of the townships into joint-stock companies ; cen-
tral unitary mansions and workshops ; division of labor
according to the law of groups and series ; distribution
21 8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
of profit in the proportion of five-twelfths to labor, four-
twelfths to capital, and three-twelfths to talent, &c. We
quote the eloquent and pious conclusion, as a specimen
of the whole :
"An important branch of the divine mission of our
Savior Jesus Christ, was to establish the Kingdom of
Heaven upon earth. He announced incessantly the
jjractical reign of Divine wisdom and love among all
men : and it was a chief aim of all his struggles and
teachings to prepare the minds of nun for this glorious
consummation. He proclaimed the universal brother-
hood of mankind ; he insisted upon universal justice,
and he predicted the triumphs of universal unity.
' Thou shalt love,' he said, ' the Lord thy God with all
thy mind and all thy heart, and all thy soul, and thy
neighbour as thyself On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.' Again : ' If ye love
not one another, how can ye be my disciples .-' ' * I have
loved you, that you also may love one another.' 'Ye
are all one, as I and my Father are one.' Again : he
taught us to ask in daily prayer of our Heavenly
Father, ' Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.' Aye, it must be done, actually
executed in all the details of life! And again, in the
same spirit his disciple said, ' Little children, love one
another.' ' If you love not man, whom you have seen,
how can you love God whom you have not seen ? ' And
in regard to the form which this love should take, the
apostle Paul says, ' As the body is one, so also is Christ.
For by one spirit we are all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles,' &c. 'That there
should be no schism (disunity) in the body, but that the
members should have the same care one for another ; and
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 2I9
if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or
one member be honored, all the members rejoice with
it.' ' Ye are members one of another.'
" These Divine truths must be translated into actual
life. Our relations to each other as men, our business
relations among others, must all be instituted according
to this law of highest wisdom and love. In Association
alone can we find the fulfillment of this duty ; and there-
fore we again insist that Association is the duty of every
branch of the universal church. Let its views of
points of doctrines be what they may ; let it hold to any
creed as to the nature of man, or the attributes of God,
or the offices of Christ ; we say that it can not fully
and practically embody the spirit of Christianity out of
an organization like that which we have described. It
may exhibit, with more or less fidelity, some tenet of a
creed, or even some phase of virtue ; but it can possess
only a type and shadow of that universal unity which is
the destiny of the church. But let the church adopt
true associative organization, and the blessings so long
promised it will be fulfilled. Fourier, among the last
words that he wrote, describing the triumph of universal
Association, exclaims, 'These are the days of mercy
promised in the words of the Redeemer, Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for
they shall be filled.' It is verily in harmony, in
Associative unity, that God will manifest to us the
immensity of his providence, and that the Savior will
come according to his word, in ' all the glory of his
Father : ' it is the Kingdom of Heaven that comes to us
in this terrestrial world ; it is the reign of Christ ; he
has conquered evil. Christtis regnat, vincit, hnperat.
Then will the Cross have accomplished its two-fold
220 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
destiny, that of consolation during the reign of sin, and
that of universal banner, when human reason shall have
accomplished the task imposed upon it by the Creator.
' Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteous-
ness'— the harmony of the passions in associative unity.
Then will the banner of the Cross display with glory its
device, the augury of victory, In Hoc Signo Vinces ; for
then it will have conquered evil, conquered the gates of
hell, conquered false philosophy and national indigence
and spurious civilization ; et portcB inferi non prevalebunt.
"To the free and Christian people of the United
States, then, we commend the principle of Association ;
we ask that it be fairly sifted ; we do not shrink from the
most thorough investigation. The peculiar history of
this nation convinces us that it has been prepared by
Providence for the working out of glorious issues. Its
position, its people, its free institutions, all prepare it for
the manifestation of a true social order. Its wealth of
territory, its distance from the political influences of
older and corrupter nations, and above all the general
intelligence of its people, alike contribute to fit it for
that noble union of freemen which we call Association.
That peculiar constitution of government, which, for the
first time in the world's career, was established by our
Fathers ; that signal fact of our national motto, E
PluribHs U)mm, many individuals united in one whole ;
that beautiful arrangement for combining the most
perfect independence of the separate members with
complete harmony and strength in the federal heart —
is a rude outline and type of the more scientific and
more beautiful arrangement which we would introduce
into all the relations of man to man. We would give
our theory of state rights an application to individual
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 221
rights. We would bind trade to trade, neighborhood
to neighborhood, man to man. by the ties of interest
and aft'ection which bind our larger aggregations called
States ; only we would make the ties holier and more
indissoluble. There is nothing impossible in this ;
there is nothing unpractical ! We, who are represented
in this Convention have pledged our sleepless energies
to its accomplishment. It may cost time, it may cost
trouble, it may expose us to misconception and even to
abuse ; but it must be done. We know that we stand
on sure and positive grounds ; we know that a better
time must come ; we know that the hope and heart of
humanity is with us — that justice, truth and goodness
are with us ; we feel that God is with us, and we do not
fear the anger of man. The future is ours — the future
is ours. Our practical plans may seem insignificant,
but our moral aim is the grandest that ever elevated
human thought. We want the love and wisdom of the
Highest to make their daily abode with us ; we wish to
see all mankind happy and good ; we desire to emanci-
pate the human body and the human soul ; we long for
unity between man and man in true society, between
man and nature by the cultivation of the earth, and be-
tween man and God, in universal joy and religion."
After this address, Mr. Ripley of Brook Farm made
a speech, and Mr. Solyman Brown of the Leraysville
Phalanx recited "a very beautiful pastoral, entitled, A
Vision of the Future." Here occured a little episode
that brought our old friends of the Owenite wing of
Socialism on the scene ; not, however, altogether har-
monically. The report says :
" A delegation of English Socialists, from a society in
222 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
this city, presented itself. The gentlemen composing
the delegation, demanded seats as members of the
Convention. The call of the Convention was read, and
they were asked if they could unite with the Convention
according to the terms of the call, as 'friends of
Association based on the principles of Charles Fourier.'
This they said they could not do, as they differed with
the partisans of Fourier in fundamental principles, and
particularly in regard to religion and property. They
held to community of property, and did not accept our
views of a Providential and Divine social order. They
were informed that the objects of the Convention were
of a special and business character, and that a contro-
versy and discussion of principles could not be entered
into. Their claim to sit as members of the Convention
was therefore denied : but they were allowed freely to
express their opinions, and treated with the utmost
courtesy, without reply."
Many "admirable addresses" continued to be de-
livered ; among which one of Mr. Channing's is
mentioned, and one of Charles A. Dana's is reported in
full. He spoke as the representative of Brook Farm.
We cull a few broken paragraphs :
" As a member of the oldest Association in the United
States, I deem it my duty to make some remarks on the
practical results of the system. We have an Associa-
tion at Brook Farm, of which I now speak from my own
experience. We have there abolished domestic servi-
tude. This institution of domestic servitude was one
of the first considerations ; it gave one of the first im-
pulses to the movement at Brook Farm. It seemed
that a continuance in the relations which it estab-*
lished, could not possibly be submitted to. It was a
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 223
deadly sin — a thing to be escaped from. Accordingly
it was escaped from, and we have now for three years
lived at Brook Farm and have carried on all the business
of life without it. At Brook Farm they are all servants
of each other ; no man is master. We do freely, from
the love of it, with joy and thankfulness, those duties
which are usually discharged by domestics. The man
who performs one of these duties — he who digs a ditch
or executes any other repulsive work, is not at the
foot of the social scale ; he is at the head of it. Again
we have in Association established a natural system
of education ; a system of education which does justice
to every one ; where the children of the poor receive
the integral development of all their faculties, as far as
the means of Association in its present condition will
permit. Here we claim to have made an advance upon
civilized society.
" Again, we are able already, not only to assign to
manual labor its just rank and dignity in the scale of
human occupations, but to insure to it its just reward.
And here also, I think, we may humbly claim that
we have made some advance upon civilized society.
In the best society that has ever been in this world,
with very small exceptions, labor has never had its just
reward. Every where the gain is to the pocket of the
employer. He makes the money. The laborer toils
for him and is his servant. The interest of the
laborer is not consulted in the arrangements of industry ;
but the whole tendency of industry is perpetually to
disgrace the laborer, to grind him down and reduce his
wages, and to render deceit and fraud almost necessary
for him. And all for the benefit of whom ? For the
benefit of our excellent monopolists, our excellent com-
224 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
panics, our excellent employers. The stream all runs
into their pockets, and not one little rill is suffered to
run into the pockets of those who do the work. Now in
Association already we have changed all this ; we have
established a true relation between labor and the people,
whereby the labor is done, not entirely for the benefit of
the capitalist, as it is in civilized society, but for the
mutual benefit of the laborer and the capitalist. We
are able to distribute the results and advantages which
accrue from labor in a joint ratio.
"These, then, very briefly and imperfectly stated, are
the practical, actual results already attained. In the
first place we have abolished domestic servitude ; in the
second place, we have secured thorough education for
all; and in the third place, we have established justice
to the laborer, and ennobled industry. * * * Two
or three years ago we began our movement at Brook
Farm, and propounded these few simple propositions,
which I say are here proven. All declared it to be a
scheme of fanaticism. There was universal skepticism.
No one believed it possible that men could live together
in such relations. Society, it was said, had always lived
in a state of competition and strife between man and
man ; and when told that it was possible to live other-
wise, no one received the proposition except with scorn
and ridicule. But in the experience of two or three
years, we maintain that we have by actual facts, by
practical demonstration, proven this, viz. : that harmo-
nious relations, relations of love and not of selfishness
and mutual conflict, relations of truth and not of
falsehood, relations of justice and not of injustice, are
possible between man and man."
At noon on Saturday the last resolution was adopted,
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 225
and the Convention was about to adjourn, when Mr.
Channing rose and addressed the assembly, as follows :
" Mr. President and brother Associationists : We
began our meeting with calling to mind, as in the
presence of God, our solemn privileges and responsi-
bilities. We can not part without invoking for ourselves,
each other, our friends everywhere, and our race, a
blessing. If this cause in which we are engaged, is one
of mere human device, the emanation of folly and self,
may it utterly fail ; it will then utterly fail. But if, as
we believe, it is of God, and, making allowance for
human limitations, is in harmony with the Divine will,
may it go on, as thus it must, conquering and to
conquer. Those of us who are active in this movement
have met, and will meet with suspicion and abuse. It
is well ! well that critical eyes should probe the schemes
of Association to the core, and if they are evil, lay bare
their hidden poison ; well that in this fiery ordeal
the sap of our personal vanities and weaknesses
should be consumed. We need be anxious but on one
account ; and that is lest we be unworthy of this
sublime reform. Who are we, that we should have the
honor of giving our lives to this grandest of all possible
human endeavors, the establishment of universal unity,
of the reign of heaven on earth ? Truly ' out of the
mouths of babes and sucklings has the Lord ordained
strength.' King.s and holy men have desired to see the
things we see, and have not been able. Let our desire
be, that our imperfections, our unfaithfulness, do not
hinder the progress of love and truth and joy."
The Convention then united in prayer, and parted
with the benediction, " Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth, peace, good will toward men."
226 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
But this was not the end. That last day of the Con-
vention was also the anniversary of Fourier's birthday,
and in the evening the members held a festival at the
Apollo Saloon. " The repast was plain and simple, but
the intellectual feast and the social communion were de-
lightful." The regular toasts, announced and probably
prepared by Mr. Channing, were to the memory of
Fourier, and to each of the twelve passions which,
according to Fourier, constitute the active forces of
human nature. " Soul-stirring speeches " followed each
toast. Mr. Dana responded to the toast for friendship,
and at the close of his speech Mr. Macdaniel proposed
that the toast be repeated with clasped hands. " This
proposition was instantly accepted, and with a burst of
enthusiasm every man rose, and locking hands all round
the table, the toast was repeated by the whole company,
producing an electric thrill of emotion through every
ner/e."
Mr Godwin compared the present prospects of Asso-
ciation to the tokens of approaching land which cheered
the drooping spirits of the crew of Columbus. The
friends from Brook Farm were the birds, and those from
other places the flowers that floated on the waves.
Mr. Ripley said, "Our friend has compared us to
birds. Well, it is true we have a good deal of singing,
though not a great deal to eat ; and we have very small
nests. (Laughter.) Our most appropriate emblem is the
not very beautiful or magnificent, but the very useful
and respectable barn-yard fowl ! for we all have to
scratch for a living !
"Mr. Brisbane pronounced an enthusiastic and hearty
tribute of his gratitude, esteem and respect for Horace
Greeley, for the manly, independent, and generous sup-
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 22/
port he had given to the cause from its infancy to the
present day ; and closed by saying —
" He (Mr. Greeley), has done for us what we never
could have done. He has created the cause on this
continent. He has done the work of a century. Well
then. I will give [as a toast], 'One Continent and One
Man!'
Mr. Greeley returned his grateful thanks for what
he said was the extravagant eulogium of his partial
friend, and continued :
" When I took up this cause, I knew that I went in
the teeth of many of my patrons, in the teeth of prej-
udices of the great mass, in the teeth of religious
prejudices ; for I confess I had a great many more
clergymen on my list before, than I have now, as I am
sorry to say, for had they kept on, I think I could have
done them a little good. (Laughter.) But in the face
of all this, in the face of constant advices, ' Don't have
any thing to do with that Mr. Brisbane,' I went on.
' Oh ! ' said many of my friends, ' consider your position
— consider your influence.' ' Well,' said I, ' I shall
endeavor to do so, but I must try to do some good in
the meantime, or else what is the use of the influence.'
(Cheers.) And thus I have gone on, pursuing a manly
and at the same time a circumspect course, treading
wantonly on no man's prejudice, telling on the contrary,
universal man, I will defer to your prejudices, as far as I
can consistently with duty ; but when duty leads me,
you must excuse my stepping on your corn, if it be in
the way." (Cheers.)
And so they went on with toasts and speeches and
letters from distinguished outsiders — one, by the way,
from Archbishop Hughes, courteously declining an
228 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
invitation to attend — till the twelve o'clock bell warned
them of the advent of holy time, and so they separated.
A notable thing in this great demonstration was
the intense religions element that pervaded it. The
Convention was opened and closed with prayers and
Christian doxologies. The letters and addresses
abounded in quotations from scripture, always laboring
to identify Fourierism with Christianity. Even the
jollities of the festival at the Apollo Saloon could not
commence till a blessing had been asked.
These manifestations of religious feeling were mainly
due to the presence of the Massachusetts men, and
especially to the zeal of William H. Channing. He
never forgot his religion in his enthusiasm for Socialism.
It would be easy to ridicule the fervor and assurance
of the actors in this enthusiastic drama, by comparing
their hopes and predictions with the results. But for
our part we hold that the hopes and predictions were
true, and the results were liars. Mistakes were made as
to the time and manner of the blessings foreseen, as
they have been made many times before and since : but
the inspiration did not lie.
We have had a long succession of such enthusiasms
in this country. First of all and mother of all, was the
series of Revivals under Edwards, Nettleton and Finney,
in every paroxysm of which the Millennium seemed to
be at the door. Then came Perfectionism, rapturously
affirming that the Millennium had already begun. Then
came Millerism, reproducing all the excitements and
hopes that agitated the Primitive Church just before the
Second Advent. Very nearly coTncident with the crisis
of this last enthusiasm in 1843, came this Fourier
revival, with the same confident predictions of the
PERSONNEL OF FOUKIERISM. 229
coming of Christ's kingdom, and the same mistakes as
to time and manner. Since then Spiritualism has gone
through the same experience of brilHant prophecies and
practical failures. We hold that all these enthusiasms
are manifestations, in varied phase, of one great afflatus,
that takes its time for fulfillment more leisurely than
suits the ardor of its mediums, but inspires them with
heart-prophecies of the good time coming, that are true
and sure.
HORACE Greeley's position.
The reader will observe that in the final passage of
compliments between Messrs. Brisbane and Greeley at
the Apollo festival, there is a clear answer to the
question, Who was next in rank after Brisbane in the
propagation of Fourierism in this country .■' As there is
much confusion in the public memory on this important
point in the personnel of Fourierism, we will here make
a note of the principal facts in the Fourieristic history
of the Tribune:
A prominent New England journal in an elaborate
obituary on the late Henry J. Raymond, after mentioning
that he was an efficient assistant of Mr. Greeley on the
Tribune, from the commencement of that paper in 1841
till he withdrew and took service on the Courier mid En-
quirer, went on to say :
" It was at the time of Mr. Raymond's withdrawal
from it, that the Tribune, which was speedily joined by
George Ripley and Charles A. Dana, fresh from Brook
Farm, had its Fourieristic phase."
The mistakes in this paragraph are remarkable, and
ought not to be allowed any chance of getting into
history.
230 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
In the first place Ripley and Dana did not thus
immediately succeed Raymond on the Tribune. The
American Cyclopaedia says that Raymond left the
Tribune and joined Webb on the Courier and Enquirer
in 1 843. But Ripley and Dana retained their connection
with Brook Farm till October 30, 1 847, and continued to
edit the Harbinger in New York till February lo, 1849,
as we know by the files of that paper in our possession.
They could not have joined the Tribune before the first
of these dates, and probably did not till after the last ;
so that there was an interval of from three to six years
between Raymond's leaving and their joining the
Tribune.
But the most important error of the above quoted
paragraph is its implication that the " Fourieristic
phase " of the Tribune was after Raymond left it, and
was owing to the advent of Ripley and Dana " fresh
from Brook Farm." The truth is, that the Tribune
had become the organ of Mr. Brisbane, the importer of
Fourierism, in March 1842, less than a year from its
commencement (which was on April 10, 1841); and of
course had its " Fourieristic phase " while Raymond was
employed on it, and in fact before Ripley and Dana had
been converted to Fourierism. Brook Farm, be it ever
remembered, was originally an independent Yankee ex-
periment, started in 1841 by the suggestion of Dr.
Channing, and did not accept Fourierism till the winter
of 1843 — 4. During the entire period of Brisbane's
promulgations in the Tribune, which lasted more than a
year, and which manifestly caused the great Fourier
excitement of 1843, Brook Farm had nothing to do with
Fourierism, except as it was being carried away with the
rest of the world, by Brisbane and the Tribune. Thus it
PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM. 23 1
is certain that Ripley and Dana did not bring Fourierism
into the Tribune, but on the contrary received Fourierism
from the Tribune, during the very period when Raymond
was assisting Greeley. When they joined the Tribune
in 1847 — 9, Fourierism was in the last stages of defeat,
and the most that they or Greeley or any body else did
for it after that, was to help its retreat into decent
oblivion.
The obituary writer probably fell into these mistakes
by imagining that the controversy between Greeley and
Raymond, which occurred in 1846, while Raymond was
employed on the Courier and Enquirer, was the principal
" Fourieristic phase " of the Tribune. Rut this was
really an after-affair, in which Greeley fought on the
defensive as the rear-guard of Fourierism in its failing
fortunes ; and even this controversy took place before
Brook Farm broke up ; so that Ripley and Dana had
nothing to do with it.
The credit or responsibility for the original promulga-
tion of Fourierism through the Tribune, of course does
not belong to Mr. Raymond ; though he was at the time
(1842) Mr. Greeley's assistant. But neither must it be
put upon Messrs. Ripley and Dana. It belongs exclu-
sively to Horace Greeley. He clearly was Brisbane's
other and better half in the propagation of Fourierism.
For practical devotion, we judge that he deserves even
the first place on the roll of honor. We doubt whether
Brisbane himself ever pledged his property to Associa-
tion, as Greeley did in the following address, published
in the Harbinger, October 25, 1845 •
"As one Association ist who has given his efforts and
means freely to the cause, I feel that I have a right to
speak frankly. I know that the great number of our
232 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
believers are far from wealthy ; yet I know that there is
wealth enough in our ranks, if it were but devoted to it,
to give an instant and resistless influence to the cause.
A few thousand dollars subscribed to the stock of each
existing Association would in most cases extinguish the
mortgages on its property, provide it with machinery
and materials, and render its industry immediately
productive and profitable. Then manufacturing inven-
tion and skill would fearlessly take up their abode with
our infant colonies ; labor and thrift would flow thither,
and a new and brighter era would dawn upon them.
Fellow Associationists ! / shall do whatever I can for
the promotion of our common cause ; to it whatever I
have or may hereafter acquire of pecuniary ability is
devoted : may I not hope for a like devotion from you .'
"H. G."
233
CHAPTER XX.
THE SYLVANIA ASSOCIATION.
This was the first of the Phalanxes. The North
American was the last. These two had the distinction
of metropoHtan origin ; both being colonies sent forth
by the socialistic schools of New York and Albany.
The North American appears to have been Mr.
Brisbane's /w/(?^i?, if he had any. Mr. Greeley seems
to have attached himself to the Sylvania. His name is
on its list of officers, and he gives an account of it in
his " Recollections," as one of the two Phalanxes that
issued from New York City. In the following sketch
we give the rose-color first, and the shady side after-
ward. Indeed this will be our general method of
making up the memoirs of the Phalanxes.
The first number of Brisbane's paper, the Phalanx,
(October 5, 1843) gives the following account of the
Sylvania :
"This Association has been formed by warm friends
of the cause from the cities of New York and Albany.
Thomas W. Whitley is President, and Horace Greeley,
Treasurer. Operations were commenced in May last,
and have already proved incontestably the great advan-
tages of Association ; having thus far more than fulfilled
234 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the most sanguine hopes of success of those engaged in
the enterprise. Temporary buildings have been erected,
and the foundation laid of a large edifice ; a great deal
of land has been cleared, and a saw- and grist-mill on
the premises when purchased, have been put in excellent
repair ; several branches of industry, shoe-making par-
ticularly, have been established, and the whole concern
is now in full operation. Upwards of one hundred and
fifty persons, men, women and children, are on the
domain, all contented and happy, and much gratified
with their new mode of life, which is new to most of
the members as a country residence, as well as an asso-
ciated household ; for nearly all the mechanics formerly
resided in cities. New York and Albany principally. In
future numbers we will give more detailed accounts of
this enterprising little Association. The following is a
description of its location and soil:
" The Sylvania domain consists of 2,300 acres of
arable land, situated in the township of Lackawaxen,
County of Pike, State of Pennsylvania. It lies on the
Delaware river, at the mouth of the Lackawaxen creek,
fourteen miles from Milford, about eighty-five miles in a
straight line west by north of New York City (by stage
route ninety-four, and by New York and Erie Railroad
to Middletown, one hundred and ten miles ; seventy-
four of which are now traversed by railroad). The
railroad will certainly be carried to Port Jervis, on the
Delaware, only fifteen miles below the domain ; certainly
if the Legislature of the State will permit. The
Delaware and Hudson Canal now passes up the
Delaware directly across from the domain, affording an
unbroken water communication with New York City ;
and the turnpike from Milford, Pennsylvania, to Owego,
SYLVANIA. 235
New York, bounds on the south the lands of the
Association, and crosses the Delaware by a bridge about
one mile from the dwellings. The domain may be said,
not very precisely, to be bounded by the Delaware on
the north, the Lackawaxen on the west, the Shoholy on
the east, and the turnpike on the south.
" The soil of the domain is a deep loam, well calcu-
lated for tillage and grazing. About one hundred acres
had been cleared before the Association took possession
of it ; the remainder is thinly covered with the primitive
forest ; the larger trees having been cut off of a good
part of it for timber. Much of it can be cleared at a cost
of six dollars per acre. Abundance of timber remains
on it for all purposes of the Association. The land lies
in gentle sloping ridges, with valleys between, and wide,
level tables at the top. The general inclination is to
the east and south. There are very few acres which can
not be plowed after clearing.
" Application for membership, to be made (by letter,
post paid), to Thomas W. Whitley, Esq., President,
or to Horace Greeley, Esq., New York."
The Executive officers issued a pamphlet soon after
the commencement of operations, from which we extract
the following:
"This Association was formed early in 1843, by a few
citizens of New York, mainly mechanics, who, deeply
impressed with the present defective, vice-engendering
and ruinous system of society, with the wasteful compli-
cation of its isolated households, its destructive compe-
tition and anarchy in industry, its constraint of millions
to idleness and consequent dependence or famine for
want of employment, and its failure to secure education
and development to the children growing up all around
236 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and among us in ignorance and vice, were impelled to
immediate and energetic action in resistance to these
manifold and mighty evils. Having earnestly studied
the system of industrial organization and social reform
propounded by Charles Fourier, and been led to recog-
nize in it a beneficent, expansive and practical plan for
the melioration of the condition of man and his moral
and intellectual elevation, they most heartily adopted
that system as the basis and guide of their operations.
Holding meetings from time to time, and through the
press informing the public of their enterprise and its
objects, their numbers steadily increased ; their organiza-
tion was perfected ; explorations with a view to the
selection of a domain were directed and made ; and in
the last week of April a location was finally determined
on and its purchase effected. During the first week in
May, a pioneer division of some forty persons entered
upon the possession and improvement of the land.
Their number has since been increased to nearly sixty,
of whom over forty are men, generally young or in the
prime of life, and all recognizing labor as the true and
noble destiny of man on earth. The Sylvania Associa-
tion is the first attempt in North America to realize in
practice the vast economies, intellectual advantages and
social enjoyments resulting from Fourier's system.
" Any person may become a stockholder by subscrib-
ing for not less than one share ($25) ; but the council,
having as yet its head-quarters in New York, is neces-
sarily entrusted with power to determine at what time
and in what order subscribers and their families can be
admitted to resident membership on the domain. Those
who are judged best calculated to facilitate the progress
of the enterprise must be preferred ; those with large
SYLVANIA. 237
families unable to labor must await the construction of
buildings for their proper accommodation ; while such as
shall, on critical inquiry, be found of unfit moral char-
acter or debasing habits, can not be admitted at all.
This, however, will nowise interfere with their owner-
ship in the domain ; they will be promptly paid the
dividends on their stock, whenever declared, the same
as resident members.
" The enterprise here undertaken, however humble in
its origin, commends itself to the respect of the
skeptical and the generous cooperation of the philan-
thropic. Its consequences, should success (as we can
not doubt it will) crown our exertions, must be far-
reaching, beneficent, unbounded. It aims at no
aggrandizement of individuals, no upbuilding or over-
throw of sect or party, but at the founding of a new,
more trustful, more benignant relationship between
capital and labor, removing discord, jealousy and hatred,
and replacing them by concord, confidence and mutual
advantage. The end aimed at is the emancipation of
the mass ; of the depressed toiling millions, the slaves of
necessity and wretchedness, of hunger and constrained
idleness, of ignorance, drunkenness and vice ; and their
elevation to independence, moral and intellectual devel-
opment ; in short, to a true and hopeful manhood. This
enterprize now appeals to the lovers of the human race
for aid ; not for praises, votes or alms, but for coopera-
tion in rendering its triumph signal and speedy. It
asks of the opulent and the generous, subscriptions to its
stock, in order that its lands may be promptly cleared
and improved, its buildings erected, &c. ; as they must be
far more slowly, if the resident members must devote
their energies at once and henceforth to the providing.
238 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
under the most unfavorable circumstances, of the entire
means of their own subsistence. Subscriptions are
solicited, at the office of the Association, 25 Pine street,
third story.
" Thos. W. Whitley, President ; J. D. Pierson, Vice
President ; Horace Greeley, Treasurer ; J. T. S.
Smith, Secretary."
After this discourse, the pamphlet presents a constitu-
tion, by-laws, bill of rights, &c., which are not essentially
different from scores of joint-stock documents which we
find, not only in the records of the Fourier epoch, but
scattered all along back through the times of Owenism.
The truth is, the paper constitutions of nearly all the
American experiments, show that the experimenters fell
to work, only under the impulse, not under the instruc-
tions, of the European masters. Yankee tinkering is
visible in all of them. They all are shy, on the one
hand, of Owen's flat Communism (as indeed Owen him-
self was,) and on the other, of Fourier's impracticable
account-keeping and venturesome theories of " passional
equilibrium." The result is, that they are all very much
alike, and may all be classed together as attempts to
solve the problem, How to construct a home on the
joint-stock principle ; which is much like the problem,
How to eat your cake and keep it too.
For the shady side, Macdonald gives us a Dialogue
which, he says, was written by a gentleman who was a
member of the Sylvania Association from beginning to
end. It is not very artistic, but shrewd and interesting.
We print it without important alteration. The curious
reader will find entertainment in comparing its descrip-
tions of the Sylvania domain with those given in the
official documents above. In this case as in many
SYLVANIA. 239
Others, views taken before and after trial, are as different
as summer and winter landscapes.
TALK ABOUT THE SYLVANIA ASSOCIATION.
B. — Good morning, Mr. A. I perceive you are busy
among your papers. I hope we do not disturb you }
A. — Not in the least, sir. I am much pleased to
meet you.
B. — I wish to introduce to you my friend Mr. C.
He is anxious to learn something concerning the experi-
ment in which you were engaged in Pike County,
Pennsylvania, and I presumed that you would be willing
to furnish him with the desired information.
A. — I suppose, Mr. C, like many others, you are
doubtful about the correctness of the reports you have
heard concerning these Associations.
C. — Yes, sir : but I am endeavoring to discover the
truth, and particularly in relation to the causes which
produce so many failures. I find thus far in my investi-
gations, that the difficulties which all Associations have
to contend with, are very similar in their character.
Pray, sir, how and where did the Sylvania Association
originate .''
A. — It originated partly in New York City and
partly in Albany, in the winter of 1842 — 3. We first
held meetings in Albany, and agitated the subject of
Socialism till we formed an Association. Our original
object was to read and explain the doctrines of Charles
Fourier, the French Socialist ; to have lectures delivered,
and arouse public attention to the consideration of those
social questions which appeared to us, in our new-born
zeal, to have an important bearing upon the present, and
more especially upon the future welfare of the human
240 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
family. In this we partly succeeded, and had arrived at
the point where it appeared necessary for us to think of
practically carrying out those splendid views which we
had hitherto been dreaming and talking about. Hearing
of a similar movement going on in New York City, we
communicated with them and ascertained that they
thought precisely as we did concerning immediate and
practical operations. After several communications the
two bodies united, with a determination to vent their
enthusiasm upon the land. Our New York friends
appointed a committee of three persons to select a
desirable location, and report at the next meeting of the
Society.
C. — What were the qualifications of the men who
were appointed to select the location .-* I think this very
important.
A. — One was a landscape painter, another an indus-
trious cooper, and the third was a homoeopathic doctor !
C. — And not a farmer among them ! Well, this
must have been a great mistake. At what season did
they go to examine the country .-*
A — I think it was jn March ; I am sure it was
before the snow was off the ground.
C. — How unhappy are the working classes in having
so little patience. Every thing they attempt seems to
fail because they will not wait the right time. Had you
any capitalists among you .''
A. — No ; they were principally working people,
brought up-to a city life.
C. — But you encouraged capitalists to join your
society }
A. — Our constitution provided for them as well as
SYLVANIA. 241
laborers. We wished to combine capital and labor,
according to the theory laid down by Charles Fourier.
C. — Was his theory the society's practice.''
A. — No ; there was infinite difference between his
theory and our practice. This is generally the case
in such movements, and invariably produces disappoint-
ment and unhappiness.
C. — Does this not result from ignorance of the princi-
ples, or a want of faith in them .^
A. — To some extent it does. If human beings were
passive bodies, and we could place them just where we
pleased, we might so arrange them that their actions
would be harmonious. But they are not so. We are
active beings ; and the Sylvanians were not only very
active, but were collected from a variety of situations
least likely to produce harmonious beings. If we knew
mathematically the laws which regulate the actions of
human beings, it is possible we might place all men in
true relation to each other.
C. — Working people seem to know no patience other
than that of enduring the everlasting toil to which they
are brought up. But about the committee which you
say consisted of an artist, mechanic and a doctor ; what
report did they make concerning the land .''
A. — They reported favorably of a section of land in
Pike County, Pennsylvania, consisting of about 2,394
acres, partly wooded with yellow pine and small oak
trees, vv^ith a soil of yellow loam without lime. It was
well watered, had an undulating surface, and was said to
be elevated fifteen hundred feet above the Hudson river.
To reach it from New York and Albany, we had to take
our things first to Rondout on the Hudson, and thence
by canal to Lackawanna ; then five miles up hill on a
242 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
bad stony road. [In the description on p. 234 the canal
is said to be "'directly across from the domain."] There
was plenty of stone for building purposes lying all over
the land. The soil being covered with snow, the
committee did not see it, but from the small size of
the trees, they probably judged it would be easily
cleared, which would be a great advantage to city-
choppers. Nine thousand dollars was the price de-
manded for this place, and the society concluded to
take it.
C — What improvements were upon it, and what were
the conditions ofsale.-"
A. — There were about thirty acres planted with rye,
which grain, I understood, had been successively planted
upon it for six years without any manure. This was
taken as a proof of the strength of the soil ; but when we
reaped, we were compelled to rake for ten yards on each
side of the spot where we intended to make the bundle,
before we had sufficient to tie together. There were
three old houses on the place ; a good barn and cow-
shed ; a grist-mill without machinery, with a good stream
for water-power ; an old saw-mill, with a very indifferent
water-wheel. These, together with several skeletons of
what had once been horses, constituted the stock and
improvements. We were to pay $1,000 down in cash ;
the owner was to put in 5 1,000 as stock, and the balance
was to be paid by annual instalments.
C. — How much stock did the members take .-*
A. — To state the exact amount would be somewhat
difficult ; for some who subscribed liberally at first,
withdrew their subscriptions, while others increased
them. On examining my papers, I reckon that in
Albany there were about 1^4,500 subscribed in money
SYLVANIA. 243
and useful articles for mechanical and other purposes. In
New York I should estimate that about $6,000 were
subscribed in like proportions.
C. — When did the members proceed to the domain,
and how did they progress there .''
A. — They left New York and Albany for the domain
about the beginning of May ; and I find from a table I
kept of the number of persons, with their ages, sex and
occupations, that in the following August there were
on the place twenty-eight married men, twenty-seven
married women, twenty-four single young men, six
single young women, and fifty-one children ; making a
total of one hundred and thirty-six individuals. These
had to be closely packed in three very indifterent two-
story frame houses. The upper story of the grist-mill
was devoted to as many as could sleep there. These
arrangements very soon brought trouble. Children
with every variety of temper and habits, were brought
in close contact, without any previous training to pre-
pare them for it. Parents, each with his or her peculiar
character and mode of educating children, long used to
very different accommodations, were brought here and
literally compelled to live like a herd of animals. Some
thought their children would be taken and cared for by
the society, as its own family ; while others claimed
and practiced the right to procure for their children all
the little indulgences they had been used to. Thus
jealousies and ill-feelings were created, and in place of
that self-sacrifice and zealous support of the constitution
and officers, to which they were all pledged (I have no
doubt by some in ignorance), there was a total disregard
of all discipline, and a determination in each to have the
biggest share of all things going, except hard labor.
244 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
which was very unpopular with a certain class. Aside
from the above, had we been carefully selected from
families in each city, and had we been found capable of
giving up our individual preferences to accomplish the
glorious object we had in view, what had we to experi-
ment upon ? In my opinion, a barren wilderness ;
not giving the slightest prospect that it would ever
generously yield a return for the great sacrifices we were
making upon it. The land was cold and sterile, appa-
rently incapable of supporting the stunted pines which
looked like a vast collection of barbers' poles upon its
surface. I will give you one or two illustrations of the
quality of the soil : We cut and cleared four and a half
acres of what we thought might be productive soil ; and
after having plowed and cross-plowed it, we sowed it
with buckwheat. When the crop was drawn into the
barn and threshed, it yielded eleven and a-half bushels.
Again, we toiled hard, clearing the brush and picking up
the stones from seventeen acres of new land : we plowed
it three different ways, and then sowed and harrowed it
with great care. When the product was reaped and
threshed, it did not yield more than the quantity of seed
planted. Such experiences as these made me look upon
the whole operation as a suicidal affair, blasting forever
the hopes and aspirations of the few noble spirits who
tried so hard to establish in practice, the vision they had
seen .for years.
C. — How long did the Association remain on the
place .''
A. — About a year and a half, and then it was
abandoned as rapidly as it was settled.
C. — They made improvements while there. What
were they, and who got them when the society left .-'
SYLVANIA. 245
A. — We cleared over one hundred acres and fenced
it in ; built a large frame-house forty feet by forty, three
stories high ; also a two-story carpenter's-shop, and a new
wagon-house. We repaired the dam and saw-mill, and
made other improvements which I can not now par-
ticularize. These improvements went to the original
owner, who had already received two thousand dollars
on the purchase ; and (as he expressed it) he generously
agreed to take the land back, with the improvements,
and release the trustees from all further obligations !
C. — It appears to me that your society, like many
others, lacked a sufficient amount of intelligence, or they
never would have sent such a committee to select a do-
main ; and after the domain was selected, sent so many
persons to live upon it so soon. Your means were
totally inadequate to carry out the undertaking, and you
had by far too many children upon the domain. There
should have been no children sent there, until ample
means had been secured for their care and education
under the superintendence of competent persons.
A. — It is difficult to get any but married men and
women to endure the hardships consequent on such an
experiment. Single young men, unless under some
military control, have not the perseverance of married
men.
C. — But the children ! What have you to say of
them .''
A. — I am not capable of debating that question just
now ; but I am satisfied that a very different course
from the one we tried must be pursued. Better land
and more capital must be obtained, and a greater degree
of intelligence and subordination must pervade the
people, before a Community can be successful.
246 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Macdonald moralizes as usual on the failure. The
following is the substance of his funeral sermon :
" There were too many children on the place, their
number being fifty-one to eighty-five adults. Some
persons went there very poor, in fact without anything,
and came away in a better condition ; while others took
all they could with them, and came back poor. Young
men, it is stated, wasted the good things at the com-
mencement of the experiment ; and besides victuals,
dry-goods supplied by the Association were unequally
obtained. Idle and greedy people find their way into
such attempts, and soon show forth their character by
burdening others with too much labor, and, in times of
scarcity, supplying themselves with more than their
allowance of various articles, instead of taking less.
" Where such a failure as this occurs, many persons
are apt to throw the blame upon particular individuals
as well as on the principles ; but in this case, I believe,
nearly all connected with it agree that the inferior land
and location was the fundamental cause of ill success.
" It was a loss to nearly all engaged in it. Those who
subscribed and did not go, lost their shares ; and those
who subscribed and did go, lost their valuable time as
well as their shares. The sufferers were in error, and
were led into the experiment by others, who were like-
wise in error. Working men left their situations, some
good and some bad, and, in their enthusiasm, e.xpected,
not only to improve their own condition, but the condi-
tion of mankind. They fought the fight and were
defeated. Some were so badly wounded that it took
them many years to recover ; while others, more fortu-
nate, speedily regained their former positions, and now
SYLVANIA 247
thrive well in the world again. The capital expended on
this experiment was estimated at $ 14,000."
The exact date at which the Sylvania dissolved is not
given in Macdonald's papers, but the Phalanx of August
10, 1844, indicates in the following paragraph, that it was
dying at that time :
" We are requested to state that the Sylvania Associa-
tion, having become satisfied of its inability to contend
successfully against an ungrateful soil and ungenial
climate, which unfortunately characterize the domain on
which it settled, has determined on a dissolution. Other
reasons also influence this step, but these, and the fact
that the domain is located in a thinly inhabited region,
cut off almost entirely from a market for its surplus
productions, are the prominent reasons. A grievous
mistake was made by those engaged in this enterprise, in
the selection of a domain ; but as a report on the matter
is forthcoming, we shall say no more at present."
It is evident enough that this was not Fourierism.
Indeed, Mr. A., the respondent in the Dialogue, frankly
admits, for himself and doubtless for his associates, that
their doings had in them no semblance of Fourierism.
But then the same may be said, without much modifica-
tion, of all the experiments of the Fourier epoch. Fou-
rier himself would have utterly disowned every one of
them. We have seen that he vehemently protested
against an experiment in France, which had a cash basis
of one hundred thousand dollars, and the advantage of
his own possible presence and administration. Much
more would he have refused responsibility for the whole
brood of unscientific and starveling " picnics," that
followed Brisbane's excitations.
248 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Here then arises a distinction between Fourierisna as
a theory propounded by Fourier, and Fourierism as a
practical movement administered in this country by
Brisbane and Greeley. The constitution of a country is
one thing ; the government is another. Fourier
furnished constitutional principles ; Brisbane was the
working President of the administration. We must not
judge Fourier's theory by Brisbane's execution. We
can not conclude or safely imagine, from the actual
events under Brisbane's administration, what would have
been the course of things, if Fourier himself had been
President of the American movement. It might have
been worse ; or it might have been better. It certainly
would not have been the same ; for Brisbane was a very
different man from Fourier. For one thing, Fourier
was practically a cautious man ; while Brisbane was a
young enthusiast. Again, Fourier was a poor man
and a worker ; while Brisbane was a capitalist. Our
impression also is, that Fourier was more religious
than Brisbane. From these differences we might
conjecture, that Fourier would not have succeeded so
well as Brisbane did, in getting up a vast and swift
excitement ; but would have conducted his operations to
a safer end. At all events, it is unfair to judge the
French theory by the American movement under
Brisbane. The value of Fourier's ideas is not deter-
mined, nor the hope of good from them foreclosed,
merely by the disasters of these local experiments.
And, to deal fairly all round, it must further be said,
that it is not right to judge Brisbane by such experi-
ments as that of the Sylvania Association. Let it be
remembered that, with all his enthusiasm, he gave
warning from time to time in his publications of the
SYLVANIA. 249
deficiencies and possible failures of these hybrid ven-
tures ; and was cautious enough to keep himself and his
money out of them. We have not found his name in
connection with any of the experiments, except the North
American Phalanx ; and he appears never to have been
a member even of that ; but only was recommended for
its presidency by the Fourier Association of New York,
which was a sort of mother to it.
What then shall we say of the rank-and-file that
formed themselves into Phalanxes and marched into the
wilderness to the music of Fourierism ? Multitudes of
them, like the poor Sylvanians, lost their all in the
battle. To them it was no mere matter of theory or
pleasant propagandism, but a miserable "Bull Run."
And surely there was a great mistake somewhere. Who
was responsible for the enormous miscalculation of
times, and forces, and capabilities of human nature, that
is manifest in the universal disaster of the experiments ?
Shall we clear the generals, and leave the poor soldiers
to be called volunteer fools, without the comfort even of
being in good company .■'
After looking the whole case over again, we propose
the following distribution of criticism :
I. Fourier, though not responsible for Brisbane's
administration, was responsible for tantalizing the world
with a magnificent theory, without providing the means
of translating it into practice. Christ and Paul did no
such thing. They kept their theory in the back-ground,
and laid out their strength mainly on execution. The
mistake of all " our incomparable masters" of the French
school, seems to have been in imagining that a supreme
genius is required for developing a theory, but the
experimenting and execution may be left to second-rate
250 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
men. One would think that the example of their first
Napoleon might have taught them, that the place of the
supreme genius is at the head of the army of execution
and in the front of the battle with facts.
2. Brisbane, though not altogether responsible for the
inadequate attempts of the poor Sylvanians and the rest
of the rabble volunteers, must be blamed for spending
all his energy in drumming and recruiting ; while, to
insure success, he should have given at least half his
time to drilling the soldiers and leading them in actual
battle. One example of Fourierism, carried through to
splendid realization, would have done infinitely more
for the cause in the long run, than all his translations
and publications. As Fourier's fault was devotion to
theory, Brisbane's fault was devotion to propagandism.
3. The rank-and-file, as they were strictly volunteers,
should have taken better care of themselves, and not
been so ready to follow and even rush ahead of leaders,
who were thus manifestly devoting themselves to theo-
rizing and propagandism without experience.
It may be a consolation to all concerned — officers,
privates, and far-off spectators of the great " Bull Run"
of Fourierism — that the cause of Socialism has outlived
that battle, and has learned from it, not despair, but
wisdom. We have found by it at least what can not be
done. As Owenism, with all its disasters, prepared the
way for Fourierism, so we may hope that Fourierism,
with all its disasters, has prepared the way for a third
and perhaps final socialistic movement. Every lesson
of the past will enter into the triumph of the future.
251
CHAPTER XXI.
OTHER PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS.
Our memoirs of the Phalanxes and other contemporary
Associations, may as well be arranged according to the
States in which they were located. We have already
disposed of the Sylvania, which was the most interesting
of the experiments in Pennsylvania during the Fourier
epoch. Our accounts of the remaining half-dozen are
not long. The whole of them may be dispatched at a
sitting.
THE PEACE UNION SETTLEMENT.
This was a Community founded by Andreas Ber-
nardus Smolnikar, whose name we saw among the Vice
Presidents of the National Convention. Macdonald says
nothing of it ; but the Phalanx of April 1 844, has the
following paragraph :
" This colony of Germans is situated in Limestown
township, Warren County, Pennsylvania ; it is founded
upon somewhat peculiar views and associative principles,
by Andreas Bernardus Smolnikar, who was Professor of
Biblical Study and Criticism in Austria, and perceiving
by the signs of the times compared with prophecies of
the Bible, that the time was at hand for the foundation
of the universal peace which was promised to all nations,
252 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and feeling called to undertake a mission to aid in carry-
ing out the great work thus disclosed to him, he came to
America. In the years 1838 and 1842, he published at
Philadelphia five volumes in explanation of his views ;
and gathering around him a body of his countrymen,
during the last summer he commenced with them the
Peace Union Settlement, on a tract of fertile wild land
of 10,000 acres, which had been purchased."
That is all we find. Smolnikar begun, but, we sup-
pose, was not able to finish. In 1845 he was wandering
about the country, professing to be the "Ambassador
extraordinary of Christ, and Apostle of his peace." He
called on us at Putney ; but we heard nothing of his
Community.
THE MCKEAN COUNTY ASSOCIATION.
The Phalanx, in its first number (October 1843),
announced this experiment among many others, in the
following terms :
" There is a large Association of Germans in McKean
County, Pennsylvania, commenced by the Rev. George
Ginal of Philadelphia. They own a very extensive tract
of land, over thirty thousand acres we are informed, and
are progressing prosperously. The shares, which were
originally $100, have been sold and are now held at
% 200 or more."
This is the first and the last we hear of the Rev.
George Ginal and his thirty thousand acres.
THE ONE-MENTIAN COMMUNITY.
The name of this Community, Macdonald says, was
derived from Scripture ; probably from the expression
of Paul, " Be of one mind." The New Moral World
claimed it as an Owenite Association, "with a constitu-
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 253
tion slightly altered from Owen's outline of rational
society, i. e., made a little more theological." It
originated at Paterson, New Jersey, but the sect of
One-Mentianists appears to have had branches in
Newark, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and other
cities. The prominent men were Dr. Humbert and
Messrs. Horner, Scott, and Hudson.
The Regenerate}' of February 12, 1844, published a
long epistle from John Hooper, a member of the One-
Mentian Community, giving an account in rather stilted
style, of its origin, state and prospects. We quote the
most important paragraphs :
" In the beginning of last year a few humble but
sincere persons resolved to raise the standard of human
liberty, and though limited indeed in their means, yet
such as they could sacrifice they contributed for that
purpose ; believing that the tree being once planted,
other generous spirits, filled with the same sympathy,
enlightened by the same knowledge, and kindled by
the same resolve, would, from time to time step forward,
unite in the same holy cause, and nurture this tree, until
its redeeming unction shall shed a kindred halo through
the length and breadth of the land. Having made this
resolve, they looked not behind them, but freely con-
tributed of their hard-earned means, and purchased eight
hundred acres of fertile wood-land, in Monroe County,
Pensylvania. Their zeal perhaps overpacing their
judgment, they located upon their domain several
families before organizing sufficient means for their
support, which necessarily produced much privation and
disappointment, and which placed men and women,
good and true, in a position to which human nature
never ought to be exposed. But their undying faith
254 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
in the truth and grandeur of social Community,
strengthened them in their endeavor to overcome their
disasters, and they have passed the fiery ordeal chastened
and purified. Do I censure their want of foresight .^ Do
I regret this trial.' Oh, no! It but the more forcibly
confirms me in my persuasion of the practicability of
our system. It but the more clearly shows how persons
united in a good and just cause, can and will surmount
unequaled privations, withering disappointments, and
unimagined difificulties, if their impulse be as pure as
their object is sacred and magnificent. It shows, too,
most clearly, how the humblest in society can work out
their redemption, when true to one another. And
moreover, it is a security that blessings so dearly pur-
chased, will be guarded by as judicious watchfulness
and jealous care, as the labor was severe and trying in
producing them.
" But the land has been bought, and better still, it is
paid for ; and the Society stands at this moment free
from debt. We have no interest nor rent to pay, no
mortgage to dread ; but we are free and unincumbered.
The land is good, as can be testified by several persons
in the city of New York, who well know it, and who are
willing to bear witness of this fact to any who may or
have questioned it. About sixteen acres of this land
are cleared and cultivated. We have implements, some
stock, and some machinery. But what is better than
all, we have honest hearts, clear heads, and hardy limbs,
which have passed the severest tests, battling with the
huge forest, struggling with the hitherto sterile glebe,
fostering the generous seed, that they may build suffer-
ing humanity a home. Who after this can be so cold as
not to bid them good speed ? Who so ungenerous as to
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 255
speak to their disparagement? "Who so niggardly as
to withhold from them their mite? Having a fine
water-power on their domain, they are yearning for the
creation of a mill, which, at a small cost, can and will be
soon accomplished," etc.
Macdonald reports the progress and finale of this
experiment, with some wholesome criticisms, as follows :
"The committee appointed to select a domain, chose
the location when the ground was covered with snow.
The land was wild and well timbered, but the region is
said to be cold. Some of the soil is good, but generally
it is very rocky and barren. The society paid five
hundred dollars for some six or seven hundred acres.
Cheap enough, one would say ; but it turned out to be
dear enough.
" Enthusiasm drove between thirty and forty persons
out to the spot, and they commenced work under very
unfavorable circumstances. The accommodations were
very inferior, there being at first only one log cabin on
the place ; and what was worse, there was an insufficiency
of food, both for men and animals. The members
cleared forty acres of land and made other improve-
ments ; and for the number of persons collected, and the
length of time spent on the place, the work performed is
said to have been immense.
" As the land was paid for and assistance was being
rendered by the various branches of the society, there
were great anticipations of success. But it appears that
an individual from Philadelphia visited the place, con-
stituted himself a committee of inspection, and reported
unfavorably to the Philadelphia branch ; which quenched
the Philadelphia ardor in the cause. A committee was
256 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
sent on from the New York branch, and they Hkewise
reported unfavorably of the domain. This speedily
caused the dissolution of the Community.
" The parties located on the domain reluctantly
abandoned it, and returned again to the cities. I am
informed that one of the members still lives on the
place, and probably holds it as his own. Who has got
the deeds, it seems difficult to determine.
"This failure, like many others, is ascribed to ignor-
ance. Disagreements of course took place ; and one
between Mr. Hudson and the New York branch, caused
that gentleman to leave the One-Mentian, and start
another Community a few miles distant. This probably
broke up the One-Mentian. It lasted scarcely a year."
THE SOCIAL REFORM UNITY.
" This Association," says Macdonald, " originated in
Brooklyn, Long Island, among some mechanics and
others, who were stimulated to make a practical attempt
at social reform, through the labors of Albert Brisbane
and Horace Greeley. Business was dull and the times
were hard ; so that working-men were mostly unem-
ployed, and many of them were glad to try any
apparently reasonable plan for bettering their condition."
Mr. C. H. Little and Mr. Mackenzie were the lead-
ing men in this experiment. They framed and printed
a very elaborate constitution ; but as Macdonald says
they never made any use of it, we omit it. One or
two curiosities in it, however, deserve to be rescued from
oblivion.
The 14th article provides that " The treasury of the
Unity shall consist of a suitable metallic safe, secured by
seven different locks, the keys of which shall be de-
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 257
posited in the keeping and care of the following officers,
to wit : one with the president of the Unity, one with
the president of the Advisory Council, one with the
secretary general, one with the accountant general, one
with the agent general, one with the arbiter general, and
one with the reporter general. The monies in said trea-
sury to be drawn out only by authority of an order from
the Executive Council, signed by all the members of the
same in session at the time of the drawing of such order,
and counter-signed by the president of the Unity. All
such monies thus drawn shall be committed to the care
and disposal of the Executive Council."
The 62d Article says , " The question or subject of
the dissolution of this Unity shall never be entertained,
admitted or discussed in any of the meetings of the
same."
" Land was offered to the society by a Mr. Wood, in
Pike County, Pennsylvania, at $ 1,25 per acre, and the
cheapness of it appears to have been the chief induce-
ment to accepting it. They agreed to take two thousand
acres at the above rate, but only paid down $ 100. The
remainder was to be paid in installments within a cer-
tain period.
" A pioneer band was formed of about twenty persons,
who went on to the property : their only capital being
their subscriptions of $50 each. The journey thither
was difficult, owing to the bad roads and the ruggedness
of the country.
" The domain was well-timbered land near the foot of
a mountain range, and was thickly covered with stones
and boulders. A half acre had been cleared for a garden
by a previous settler. A small house with about four
rooms, a saw-mill, a yoke of oxen, some pigs, poultry.
258 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
etc., were on the place ; but the accommodations and
provisions were altogether insufficient, and the circum-
stances very unpleasant for so many persons, and
especially at such a season of the year ; for it was about
the middle of November when they went on the ground.
" At the commencement of their labors they made no
use of their constitution and laws to regulate their con-
duct, intending to use them when they had made some
progress on their domain, and had prepared it for a
greater number of persons. All worked as they could,
and with an enthusiasm worthy of a great cause, and all
shared in common whatever there was to share. They
commenced clearing land, building bridges over the
' runs,' gathering up the boulders, and improving the
habitation. But going on to an uncultivated place like
that, without ample means to obtain the provisions they
required, and at such a season, seems to me to have been
a very imprudent step ; and so the sequel proved.
" None of the leading men were agriculturists ; and
although it may be quite true that ^the soil under the
boulders was excellent, yet a band of poor mechanics,
without capital, must have been sadly deluded, if they
supposed that they could support themselves and pre-
pare a home for others on such a spot as that ; unless,
indeed, mankind can live on wood and stone.
" They depended upon external support from the
Brooklyn Society, and expected it to continue until they
were firmly established on the domain. In this they
were totally disappointed ; the promised aid never came ;
and indeed the subscriptions ceased entirely on the de-
parture of the pioneers to the place of experiment.
" They continued struggling manfully with the rocks,
wood, climate and other opposing circumstances, for
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 259
about ten months ; and agreed pretty well till near the
close, when the legislating and chafing increased, as the
means decreased.
" Occasionally a new member would arrive, and a
little foreign assistance would be obtained. But this did
not amount to much ; and finally it was thought best to
abandon the enterprise. Want of capital was the only
cause assigned by the Community for its failure ; but
there was evidently also want of wisdom and general
preparation."
GOOSE-POND COMMUNITY.
It was mentioned at the close of the account of the
One-Mentian Community, that a Mr. Hudson seceded
and started another Association. That Association
took the domain left by the Social Reform Unity. The
locality was called " Goose Pond," and hence the name
of this Community. About sixty persons were engaged
in it. After an existence of a few months it failed.
THE LERAYSVILLE PHALANX.
Several notices of this Association occur in The Pha-
lanx, from which we quote as follows :
[From the Phalanx, February 5, 1844.]
" An Industrial Association, which promises to realize
immediately the advantages of united interests, and
ultimately all the immense economies and blessings of a
true, brotherly social order, is now in progress of organ-
ization near the village of Leraysville, town of Pike,
county of Bradford, in the State of Pennsylvania.
" Nearly fifty thousand dollars have been subscribed
to its stock, and a constitution nearly identical with that
of the North American Phalanx, has received the sig-
natures of a number of heads of families and others.
26o AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
who are preparing to commence operations early in the
spring. Thus the books are fairly open for subscription
to the capital stock, only a few thousand dollars more of
cash capital being needed for the first year's expendi-
tures.
" About fifteen hundred acres of land have already
been secured for the domain, consisting of adjacent
farms in a good state of cultivation, well fenced and
watered, and as productive as ^ny tract of equal
dimensions in its vicinity.
"As Dr. Lemuel C. Belding, the active projector of
this enterprise, and several other gentlemen who have
united their farms to form the domain, are members of
the New Jerusalem church, it may be fairly presumed
that the Leraysville Phalanx will be owned mostly by
members of that religious connection ; although other
persons desirous of living in charity with their neigh-
bors, will by no means be excluded, but on the contrary
be freely admitted to the common privileges of member-
ship.
"We are very much pleased with this little Phalanx,
which is just starting into existence. Rev. Dr Belding,
the clergyman at the head of it, is a man of sound
judgment, great practical energy, and clear views — not
merely a theologian, talking only of abstract faith and
future salvation. He knows that 'work is worship;'
that order, economy and justice must exist on earth in
the practical affairs of men, as they do wherever God's
laws are carried out ; and that if men would pray in
deed, as they do in word, those principles would soon be
realized in this world.
" He enjoys the confidence of the people around him,
and unites with them practically in the enterprise.
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 26l
setting an example by putting in his own land and other
property, and doing his share of the labor."
[From the Phalanx March i, 1844.]
"We learn that this Association is proceeding with
its organization under favorable auspices. The most
interesting practical step that has been taken is, throw-
ing down the division fences of the farms which have
been united to form the domain. How significant a fact
is this ! The barricades of selfishness and isolation are
overthrown !
" Buried deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania, in a
secluded, and as is said, beautiful valley, some honest
farmers are living on their separate farms. In general
they are thrifty ; but they feel sensibly many evils
and disadvantages to which they are subjected. The
doctrines of Association reach them, and as intelligent,
sincere minded men, they come together and discuss
their merits. They are satisfied of their truth, and that
they can live together as brethren with united interests,
far better than they can separated, under the old system
of divided and conflicting interests. They resolve to
carry out their convictions, and to form an Association.
Now how is this to be done 1 Simply by uniting their
farms, and forming of them one domain. They do not
sacrifice any interest in their property ; the tenure of it
only is changed. Instead of owning the acres them-
selves, they own the shares of stock which represent the
acres, and the individual and collective interests are at
once united. They are now joint-partners in a noble
domain, and the interest of each is the interest of all,
and the interest of all the interest of each. From unity
ot interests at once springs unity of feeling and unity of
design ; and the first sign is a destructive one ; they
262 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
throw down the old land-marks of division. The next
will be constructive ; they will build them a large and
comfortable edifice in which they can reside in true
social relations.
" Now what do we gather from this ? Plainly that the
social transformation from isolation to Association, is a
simple and easy thing, a peaceful and a practical thing,
which neither violates any right nor disturbs any order.
" We understand that as soon as the spring opens, the
Leraysville Phalanx is to be joined by a number of
enterprising men and skillful mechanics from this city
and other places."
[From the Phalanx, Ajiril i, 1844.]
"The cash resources of the Phalanx, in addition to its
local trade, will consist of sales of cattle, horses, boots,
shoes, saddles and harness, woolen goods, hats, books
of its own manufacture, paper, umbrellas, stockings,
gloves, clothing, cabinet-wares, piano-fortes, tin-ware,
nursery-trees, carriages, bedsteads, chairs, oil-paintings
and other productions of skill and art, together with the
receipts from pupils in the schools and boarders from
abroad, residing on the domain.
•' It need not be concealed that the intention of the
founders of the Leraysville Association, is to keep up,
if possible, a prevailing New Church influence in the
Phalanx, in order that its schools may be conducted
consistently with the views of that religious connection,"
SoLVMAN Brown, General Agent.
13 Park Place, New York.
[From the Phalanx, SeptEJiiber 7, 1844.]
"We have received a paper containing an oration
delivered on the Fourth of July, by Dr. Solyman Brown,
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 263
late of this city, at the Leraysville Phalanx, which
institution he has joined."
So far the Phalanx carries us pleasantly ; but here it
leaves us. Macdonald tells the unpleasant part of the
story thus :
"There were about forty men, women and children in
the Association. Among them were seven farmers, two
or three carpenters, one cabinet maker, two or three
shoemakers, one cooper, one lawyer, and several doctors
of physic and divinity, together with some young men
who made themselves generally useful. The majority of
the members were Sweden borgians, and Dr. Belding
was their preacher.
"The land (about three hundred acres) and other
property belonged to Dr. Belding, his sons, his brother,
and other relatives. It was held as stock, at a valuation
made by the owners.
" In addition to the families who were thus related,
and who owned the property, individuals from distant
places were induced to go there ; but for these outsiders
the accommodations were not very good. Each of the
seven persons owning the land had comfortable home-
steads on which they lived, the estimated value of which
gave them controlling power and influence. But the
associates from a distance (some even from the State of
Maine) were compelled to board with Dr. Belding and
others, until the associative buildings could be con-
structed— which in fact was never done. No doubt
these invidious arrangements produced disagreements,
which led to a speedy dissolution. The outsiders very
soon became discontented with the management, con-
ceiving that those who held the most stock, i. e., the
264 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
original owners of the soil, after receiving aid from
without, endeavored so to rule as to turn all to their own
advantage.
" The circumstances of the property owners were im-
proved by what was done on the place ; but the associates
from a distance, whose money and labor were expended
in cultivating the land and in rearing new buildings,
were not so fortunate. Their money speedily vanished,
and their labor was not remunerated. The land and the
buildings remained, and the owners enjoyed the improve-
ments. The whole atfair came to an end in about eight
months."
We hope the reader will not fail to notice how power-
fully the land-mania raged among these Associations.
Let us recapitulate. The Pennsylvania Associations,
including the Sylvania, are credited with real estate as
follows :
Acres.
The Sylvania Association had 2,394
The Peace Union Settlement " 10,000
The McKean Co. Association " ..... 30,000
The Social Reform Unity " 2,000
The Goose-Pond Community " 2,000
The Leraysville Phalanx " 1,500
The One-Mentian Community " ..'... 800
Total for the seven Associations .... 48,694
It is to be observed that Northern Pennsylvania,
where all these Associations were located, is a paradise
of cheap lands. Three great chains of mountains and
not less than eight high ridges run through the State,
and spread themselves abroad in this wild region. Any
one who has passed over the Erie railroad can judge of
PENNSYLVANIA EXPERIMENTS. 265
the situation. It is evident from the description of the
soil of the above domains, as well as from the prices paid
for them, that they were, almost without exception,
mountain deserts, cold, rocky and remote from the world
of business. The Sylvania domain in Pike County, was
elevated 1,500 feet above the Hudson river. Its soil was
" yellow loam," that would barely support stunted pines
and scrub-oaks ; price, four dollars per acre. Smolnikar's
Peace Union Settlement was on the ridges of Warren
County, a very wild region. The Rev. George Ginal's
30,000 acres were among the mountains of McKean
County, which adjoins Warren, and is still wilder. The
Social Reform Unity was located in Pike County, near
the site of the Sylvania. Its domain was thickly cov-
ered with stones and boulders ; price, one dollar and a
quarter per acre. The Goose Pond Community suc-
ceeded to this domain of the Social Reform Unity, with
its stones and boulders. The Leraysville Association
appears to have occupied some respectable land ;
but the Phalanx speaks of it as " deep buried in the
mountains of Pennsylvania." The One-Mentian Com-
munity, like the Sylvania, selected its domain while
covered with snow ; the soil is described as wild, cold,
rocky and barren ; price, five hundred dollars for seven
or eight hundred acres, or about sixty-five cents per acre.
Such were the domains on which the Fourier enthusi-
asm vented itself An illusion, like the mirages of the
desert, seems to have prevailed among the Socialists,
cheating the hungry mechanics of the cities with the
fancy, that, if they could combine and obtain vast tracts
of land, no matter where 'or how poor, their fortunes
were made. Whereas it is well known to the wise that
the more of worthless land a man has the poorer he is,
266 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
if he pays taxes on it, or pays any attention to it ; and
that agriculture anyhow is a long and very uncertain
road to wealth.
We can not but think that Fourier is mainly responsi-
ble for this mirage. He is always talking in grand style
about vast domains — three miles square, we believe, was
his standard — and his illustrations of attractive industry
are generally delicious pictures of fruit-raising and
romantic agriculture. He had no scruple in assigning a
series of twelve groups of amateur laborers to raising
twelve varieties of the Bergamot pear ! And his
staunch disciples are always full of these charming
impracticable ruralities.
267
CHAPTER XXII.
THE VOLCANIC DISTRICT.
Western New York was the region that responded
most vigorously to the gospel of Fourierism, proclaimed
by Brisbane, Greeley, Godwin and the Brook Farmers.
Taking Rochester for a center, and a line of fifty
miles for radius, we strike a circle that includes the
birth-places of nearly all the wonderful excitements of
the last forty years. At Palmyra, in Wayne County,
twenty-five miles east of Rochester, Joseph Smith in
1823 was visited by the Angel Moroni, and instructed
about the golden plates from which the book of Mormon
was copied ; and there he began the gathering which
grew to be a nation and settled Utah. Batavia, about
thirty miles west of Rochester, was the scene of
Morgan's abduction in 1820; which event started the
great Anti-Masonic excitement, that spread through the
country and changed the politics of the nation. At
Acadia, in Wayne County, adjoining Palmyra, the Fox
family first heard the mysterious noises which were
afterward known as the " Rochester rappings," and
were the beginning of the miracles of modern Spirit-
ualism. The Rochester region has also been famous for
its Revivals, and borders on what Hepworth Dixon has
celebrated as the " Burnt District."
268 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
In this same remarkable region around Rochester,
occurred the greatest Fourier excitement in America.
T. C. Leland, writing from that city in April 1844, thus
described the enthusiasm : " I attended the socialistic
Convention at Batavia. The turn-out was astonishing.
Nearly every town in Genesee County was well repre-
sented. Many came from five to twelve miles on foot.
Indeed all western New York is in a deep, a shaking
agitation on this subject. Nine Associations are now
contemplated within fifty miles of this city. From the
astonishing rush of applications for membership in these
Associations, I have no hesitation in saying that twenty
thousand persons, west of the longitude of Rochester in
this State, is a low estimate of those who are now ready
and willing, nay anxious, to take their place in associa-
tive unity."
Mr. Brisbane traveled and lectured in this excited
region a few months before Mr. Leland wrote the above.
The following is his report to the Phalanx :
" It will no doubt be gratifying to those who take an
interest in the great idea of a Social Reform, to learn
that it is spreading very generally through the State of
New York. I have visited lately the central and western
parts of the State, and have been surprised to see that
the principles of a reform, based upon Association and
unity of interests, have found their way into almost every
part of the country, and the farmers are beginning to see
the truth and greatness of a system of dignified and
attractive industry, and the advantages of Association,
such as its economy, its superior means of education,
and the guaranty it offers against the indirect and legal-
ized spoliation by those intermediate classes who now
live upon their labor.
VOLCANIC DISTRICT. 269
" The conviction that Association will realize Chris-
tianity practically upon earth, which never can be done
in the present system of society, with its injustice,
frauds, distrust, and the conflict and opposition of all in-
terests, is taking hold of many minds and attracting
them strongly to it. There is a very earnest desire on
the part of a great number of sincere minds to see that
duplicity which now exists between theory and practice
in the religious world, done away with ; and where this
desire is accompanied with intelligence. Association is
plainly seen to be the means. It is beginning to be
perceived that a great social reformation must take place,
and a new social order be established, before Chris-
tianity can descend upon earth with its love, its peace,
its brotherhood and charity. The noble doctrine pro-
pounded by Fourier, is gaining valuable disciples among
this class of persons.
" I lectured at Utica, Syracuse, Seneca Falls, and
Rochester, and although the weather was very unfavor-
able, the audiences were large. At Rochester I at-
tended a convention of the friends of Association,
interested in the establishment of the Ontario Phalanx.
Men of intelligence, energy and strong convictions, are
at the head of this enterprise, and it will probably soon
be carried into operation. A very heavy subscription to
the stock can be obtained in Rochester and the vicinity,
in productive farms and city real estate, for the purpose
of organizing this Association ; but, owing to the scarcity
of money, it is difficult to obtain the cash capital requis-
ite to commence operations. From the perseverance
and determination of the men at the head of the under-
taking, it is presumed, however, that this difficulty will
be overcome. Those persons in the western part of the
2/0 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
State of New York, who wish to enter an Association,
can not be too strongly recommended to unite with the
Ontario Phalanx.
" It is very advisable that the friends of the cause
should not start small Associations. If they are com-
menced with inadequate means, and without men who
know how to organize them, they may result in failures,
which will cast reproach upon the principles. The
American people are so impelled to realize in practice
any idea which strikes them as true and advantageous,
that it will of course be useless to preach moderation in
organizing Associations ; still I would urgently recom-
mend to individuals, for their own interest, to avoid
small and fragmental undertakings, and unite with the
largest one in their section of the country.
" Four gentlemen from Rochester and its vicinity will
be engaged this winter in propagating the principles of
Association by lectures etc., in western New York. At
Rochester they have commenced the publication of
tracts upon Association, which we trust will be exten-
sively circulated. That city is becoming an important
center of propagation, and will, we believe, exercise a
very great influence, as it is situated in a flourishing
region of country, inhabited by a very intelligent pop-
ulation.
" It must be deeply gratifying to the friends of
Association to see the unexampled rapidity with which
our principles are spreading throughout this vast country.
Would it not seem that this very general response to,
and acceptance of, an entirely new and radically reform-
ing doctrine by intelligent and practical men, prove that
there is something in it harmonizing perfectly with the
ideas of truth, justice, economy and order, and those
VOLCANIC DISTRICT. 2/1
higher sentiments implanted in the soul of man, which,
although so smothered at present, are awakened when
the correspondences in doctrine or practice are pre-
sented to them clearly and understandingly ?
" The name oi Fourier is now heard from the Atlantic
to the Mississippi ; from the remotest parts of Wisconsin
and Louisiana responsive echoes reach us, heralding the
spread of the great principles of universal Association ;
and this important work has been accomplished in a few
years, and mainly within two years, since Horace
Greeley, Esq., the editor of the Tribmie, with unprece-
dented courage and liberality, opened the columns of
his widely-circulated journal to a fair exposition of this
subject. What will the next ten years bring forth .^"
Mr. John Greig of Rochester, a participator in this
socialistic excitement and in the experiments that went
with it, contributed the following sketch of its begin-
nings to Macdonald's collection of manuscripts :
" We in western New York received an account of the
views and discoveries of (the to-be-illustrious) Fourier,
through the writings of Brisbane, Greeley, Godwin and
the earnest lectures of T. C. Leland. Those ideas fell
upon willing ears and hearts then (1843), ^'^^ thousands
flocked from all quarters to hear, believe, and participate
in the first movement.
" This excitement gathered itself into a settled purpose
at a convention held in Rochester in August 1843,
which was attended by several hundred delegates from
the city and neighboring towns and villages. A great
deal of discussion ensued as a matter of course, and
some little amount of business was done. The nucleus
of a society was formed, and committees for several pur-
2/2 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
poses were appointed to sit in permanence, and call
together future conventions for further discussions.
" I was one of the Vice Presidents of that convention,
and took a decided interest in the whole movement.
As there existed from the very beginning of the discus-
sions some diversity of opinion on several points of doc-
trine and expediency, there arose at least four different
Associations out of the constituents of said convention.
Those who were most determined to follow as near the
letter of Fourier as possible, were led off chiefly by Dr.
Theller (of ' Canadian Patriot ' notoriety), Thomas Pond
(a Quaker), Samuel Porter of Holly, and several others
of less note, including the write'r hereof They located
at Clarkson, in Monroe County. The other branches
established themselves at Sodus Kay in Wayne County,
at Hopewell near Canandaigua in Ontario County, at
North Bloomfield in Ontario County, and at Mixville in
Alleghany County."
The Associations that thus radiated from Rochester,
hold a place of peculiar interest in the history of the
Fourier movement, from the fact that they made the
first, and, we believe, the only practical attempt, to
organize a Confederation of Associations. The National
Convention, as we have seen, recommended general
Confederation ; and its executive committee afterward,
through Parke Godwin, made suggestions in the Pha-
lanx tending in the same direction. The movement,
however, came to nothing, and at the subsequent Na-
tional Convention in October, was formally abandoned.
But the Rochester group of Associations, attracted
together by their common origin, actually formed a
league, called the "American Industrial Union," and a
Council of their delegates held a session of two days at
VOLCANIC DISTRICT. 2/3
the domain of the North Bloomfield Association, com-
mencing on the 15 th of May, 1844. The Phalanx has
an interesting report of the doings of this Confederate
Council, from which we give below a liberal extract,
showing how heartily these western New Yorkers aban-
doned themselves to the spirit of genuine Fourierism :
FROM THE REPORT OF THE SESSION OF THE INDUSTRIAL
UNION.
" Resolved, That it be recommended to the several
institutions composing this Confederacy to adopt, as far
as possible, the practice of mutual exchanges between
each other ; and that they should immediately take such
measures as will enable them to become the commercial
agents of the producing classes in the sections of the
country where the Associations are respectively located.
Classification of Industry.
"Resolved, That in the opinion of the council, the first
step towards organization should be an arrangement of
the different branches of agricultural, mechanical and
domestic work, in the classes of necessity, usefulness
and attractiveness. The exact category in which an
occupation shall be placed, will be influenced more or
less by local circumstances, and is, at best, somewhat
conjectural. It will be indicated, however, with cer-
tainty, by observation and experience. In the meantime,
the council take the liberty to express an opinion, that
to the
Class of Necessity
belong, among others, the following, viz. : ditching,
masonry, work in woolen and cotton factories, quarrying
stone, brickmaking, burning lime and coal, getting out
manure, baking, washing, ironing, cooking, tanning and
2/4 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
currier business, night-sawing and other night work,
blacksmithing, care of children and the sick, care of
dairy, flouring, hauling seine, casting, chopping wood,
and cutting timber.
Class of Useftibiess.
" All mechanical trades not mentioned in the class
of necessity ; agriculture, school-teaching, book-keeping,
time of directors while in session, other officers acting in
an official capacity, engineering, surveying and mapping,
store-keeping, gardening, rearing silk-worms, care of
stock, horticulture, teaching music, housekeepers (not
cooks), teaming.
Class of Attractiveness.
" Cultivation of flowers, cultivation of fruit, portrait-
and landscape-painting, vine-dressing, poultry-keeping,
care of bees, embellishing public grounds.
Groups and Series.
" The Council recommend to the different Associ-
ations the following plan for the organization of groups
and series, viz. :
"I. Ascertain, for example, the whole number of
members who will attach themselves to, or at any time
take part in, the agricultural line. From this number,
organize as many groups as the business of the line will
admit.
"2. We recommend the numbers 30, 24, 18, as the
maximum rank of the classes of necessity, usefulness
and attractiveness.
"The series should then be numbered in the order in
which they arc formed, and the groups in the same
manner, begining i, 2, 3, &c., for each series.
" Mechanical series can be organized, embracing all
VOLCANIC DISTRICT. 275
the dififerent trades employed by the Association, in the
same manner ; and if the groups can not be filled up at
once with adults, we would recommend to the institu-
tions to fill them sufficiently for the purpose of organ-
ization, with apprentices.
" Each group should have a foreman, whose business
it should be to keep correct accounts of time, superin-
tend and direct the performance of work, and maintain
an oversight of working-dresses, etc.
" There should be one individual elected as superinten-
dent of the series, whose business it should be to confer
with the farming committee of the board, and inform the
different foremen of groups, of the work to be done, and
inspect the same afterwards.
" The council is thoroughly satisfied that all the labor
of an Association should be performed by groups and
series, and although the combined order can not be fully
established at once, the adoption of this arrangement
will avoid incoherence, and be calculated to impress on
each member a sense of his personal responsibility.
Titne attd Rank.
"The time, rank and occupation should be noted
daily, and oftener, if a change of employment is made.
The sum of the products of the daily time of each
individual, as multiplied by his daily rank, should be
carried to the time-ledger, weekly or monthly, to his or
her credit. Each of the several amounts, whether per-
formed in the classes of necessity, usefulness, or attract-
'iveness, will thus be made to bear an equal proportion
to the value of the services rendered.
A. M. Watson, President.
E. A. Stillman, Secretary."
2/6
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
The reader may be curious to see how these instruc-
tions were carried out in actual account-keeping. For-
tunately the Phalanx furnishes a specimen of what, we
suppose, may be called, unmitigated Fourierism.
" The following tables," says a subsequent report,
" exhibit the mode of keeping the account of a group at
the Clarkson domain. The total number of hours that
each individual has been employed during the week, is
multiplied by the degree in the scale of rank, which
gives an equation of rank and time of the whole group.
At Clarkson, for every thousand of the quotient, each
member is allowed to draw on his account for necessa-
ries, to the value of seventy-five cents :
SERIES OF TAILORESSES GROUP NO. 1.
Maximum. Rank 25.
1844
Total 1 Hours
Rank
Mo.
Tue.
We.
Thu.
Fri.
Sat.
hours
|& rank.
20
M. Weed,
6
10
3
—
—
5
24
480
25
J. Peabody,
10
10
10
12
10
10
62
1550
20
S. Clark,
10
10
10
10
8
—
48
960
25
E. Clark,
2
10
10
Sick
—
—
22
550
18
H. Lee,
6
4
10
6
4
4
34
612
15
J. Folsom,
3
3
2
6
5
3
22
330
12
Eliza Mann,
4
4
2
2
6
4
22
264
The above is a true account of the time and rank of
the whole group, working under my direction for the
past week. Julia Peabody. Foreman.
Entered on the books of the Association, by
Wm. Seaver, Clerk.
Clarksoji Domain, July 6, 1 844.
VOLCANIC DISTRICT.
SERIES OF WORKERS IN WOOD— GROUP NO. II.
Maximum Rank 30.
277
1844
Total Hours
Rank
Mo.
Tue.
We.
Thu
Fri.
Sat.
hours & rank.
24
Chas. Odell,
10
9
10
10
8
9
56
1344
30
John Allen,
10
10
2
6
10
8
46
1380
20
J as. Smith,
Sick
—
—
—
—
3
3
120
30
Wm. Allen,
10
12
10
10
10
10
62
i860
30
Jas. Griffith,
10
10
10
10
10
10
60
1800
The above is a true account of the time and rank of
the whole group, working under my direction for the
past week. James Griffith, Foreman.
Entered on the books of the Association, by
Wm. Seaver, Clerk.
Clarkson Domain, yuly 6, 1 844."
For the sake of keeping in view the various religious
influences that entered into the Fourier movement, it is
worth noting here that Edwin A. Stillman, the Secretary
of the Union, was one of the early Perfectionists ; inti-
mately associated with the writer of this history at New
Haven in 1835. We judge from the frequent occur-
rence of his official reports in the /*/^«/^«-r and Harbinger,
that he was the working center of the socialist revival at
Rochester, and of the incipient confederacy of Associa-
tions that issued therefrom. In like manner James
Boyle, another New Haven Perfectionist, was a very
busy writer and lecturer among the Socialists of New
England in the excitements 1842 — 3, and was a mem-
ber of the Northampton Community.
278 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE CLARKSON PHALANX.
This Association appears to have been the first and
most important of the Confederated Phalanxes. Mr.
John Greig (before referred to) is its historian, whose
account we here present with few alterations :
" Our Association commenced at Clarkson on the
shore of Lake Ontario, in the county of Monroe, about
thirty miles from Rochester, in February 1844. We
adopted a constitution and bye-laws, but I am sorry to
say that I have not a copy of them. The reason why
no copies have been preserved is, that after a year's
experience in the associative life, we all became so
wise (or smart, as the phrase is), that we thought we
could make much better constitutions, and ceased to
value the old ones.
"We had no property qualifications. All male and
female members over eighteen years of age were voters
upon all important matters, excepting the investment
and outlay of capital. No religious or political tests
were required. The chief principle upon which we
endeavored to found our Association, was to establish
justice and judgment in our little earth at Clarkson
domain, and as much further as possible.
" Our means were ample ; but, as it proved, unavail-
CLARKSON PHALANX. 2/9
able. The beginning and ending of our troubles was
this — and let all readers consider it — we were without
the pale and protection of law, for want of incorporation.
Consequently we could do no business, could not buy or
sell land or other property, could not sue or be sued,
could neither make ourselves responsible, nor compel
others to become so ; and as a majority of us were
never able to adopt the dreamy abstractions of non-
resistance and no-law, we were unable to live and
prosper in that kingdom of smoke 'above the world.'
"The members, in different proportions, had placed
in the hands of trustees, after the manner of religious
societies in this State, ninety-five thousand dollars
worth of choice landed property, to be sold, turned into
cash, and invested in Clarkson domain. We purchased
of a Mr Richmond Church and others, over two
thousand acres of first-rate land, all on trust, excepting
twenty acres bought for cash. The rise in value of our
large purchase since our dispersion, has exceeded fifty
thousand dollars. We probably took on to the domain
some ten thousand dollars worth of goods and chattels.
" Our property was not considered common stock ;
we only recognized a common cause. Our agreement
gave capital to labor for less than half of the world's
present interest, and gave to labor its full reward,
according to merit, that is, skill, strength, and time ;
establishing 'Do as you would be done by' first; and
attending to the questions of brotherhood afterward,
such as home for life, respect, comfort, and all needful or
desirable things to the old, the infant, the disabled, etc.
This was the extent of our Communism. Our company
stock was divided into twenty-five dollar shares. About
one-third of the members owned none at all at first,
280 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
although their rights were considered equal ; and that
point, be it said to the glory of the domain, was never
mooted and scarcely mentioned.
" We commenced our new life at Clarkson in March,
April and May, 1844; building our temporary, and en-
larging our established, houses, and beginning to marshal
our forces of toil. In April we ' numbered Israel,' and
found we were four hundred and twenty souls, as happy
and joyous a family as ever thronged to an Indepen-
dence dinner. If, in our fiscal affairs we were not
Communists, in our moral and social feelings we were a
house not divided against itself
" In relation to education, natural intelligence, and
morality, I candidly think we were a little above the
average of common citizens at large in the State, and
no more. Trades and occupations were multiform.
Our doctor and minister were academical scholars
merely. We had one ripe merchant (a great rogue, too),
some first-rate mechanics of all the substantial trades,
and a noble lot of common farmers.
" As for religion, we had seventy-four praying Christ-
ians, including all the sects in America, excepting
Millerites and Mormons. We had one Catholic family
(Dr. Theller's), one Presbyterian clergyman, and one
Universalist. One of our first trustees was a Quaker.
We had one Atheist, several Deists, and in short a gen-
eral assortment ; but of Nothingarians, none ; for being
free for the first time in our lives, we spoke out, one and
all, and found that every body did believe something.
All the gospels were preached in harmony and good fel-
lowship. We early got up a committee on preaching
the gospel, placing one of each known denomination
upon said committee, including a Deist, who being a
CLARKSON PHALANX. 28 1
liberal soul, and no bigot in his infidelity, was chosen
chairman on the gospel ; and allow him modestly to
say, he did acquit himself to the entire satisfaction of his
more fortunate brethren in the faith. One word about
our Atheist — our poor unfortunate Atheist ; he was be-
loved by every soul on the domain, and was an intimate
friend of our orthodox minister. We had no difficulties
on the score of religion, and had we remained, we should
have been nearer to love to God and love to man,
than we are now, scattered as we are, broadcast over the
continent. For membership, we required a decent char-
acter— no more. No oaths nor fines were required.
Honorable pledges were given and generally kept.
" Our domain was located at the mouth of Sandy
Creek, on Lake Ontario. It was a slightly rolling plain,
and the best soil in the world. On account of so much
water (Lake, Bay and Creek), it was rather unhealthy,
but would improve in time by cultivation. We had one
good flour-mill, two saw-mills, one machine-shop, some
good farm buildings and barns, and about half a mile in
length of temporary rows of board buildings ; a dry
goods store for a portion of the time, and over 400 acres
of land, under fair cultivation. At one period of our
career, we had about four hundred sheep, forty cows,
twenty-five span of horses, twelve yoke of oxen, swine,
guinea fowls, barn fowls, geese, ducks, bees, etc., etc., in
great abundance. We cultivated several acres of
vegetable garden, reaped one hundred acres of wheat,
and had corn, potatoes, peas, etc., to a large amount — I
should think seventy-five acres. We had abundance of
pasture, and must have cut two hundred tons of hay.
Of wild berries there must have been gathered hundreds
of bushels.
282 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" Our regularly elected officers managed the receipts
and expenditures ; and they were, I believe, honestly
managed up to a certain time.
" The four hundred and twenty members kept to-
gether until the autumn of the first year, and then were
forced to break up and divide property, having but little
to sustain themselves, because our capital was wrong-
fully tied up, in the hands of trustees : this course
having been pursued by advice of certain great lawyers,
who, when our legal troubles commenced, appeared in
the courts against us. No purchasers could be found to
buy the lands in the hands of the trustees ; so we had
come to a dead lock, and were obliged to break up or
down, as the fact may be estimated. The associates did
not disagree at all save in one thing, and that was, as
to these bad property arrangements, which compelled
them to break up. They staid or went by lots cast.
Two hundred persons staid on the domain some four
months longer, and then, the hope of a legal foundation
having entirely died out, the whole matter was neces-
sarily thrown into the court of Chancery, and the
lawyers, as usual, took the avails of the hard earnings
of the disappointed members.
" The regularly organized Association kept together
nearly one year. A remnant of the band remained after
the court of chancery had adjudged a transfer of the
estate back into the hands of the original owners.
That remnant tried every little scheme and new contri-
vance that imagination could devise (except Fourierism),
to stick together in a joint-stock capacity for a year
longer or so, and then broke and ran all over the world,
proclaiming Fourierism a failure. The Heavens may
CLARKSON PHALANX. 283
fall, and Fourier's industrial science may fail ; but it
must be tried first ; till then it can not fail.
" In short the reason why the attempt at Clarkson
failed, and the only reason, was, that the founders
missed the entrance door, viz., a legal foundation ; by
which they would have made friends with the old world,
and begun the new in a constructive way, obtaining
the right men and plenty of the ' mammon of un-
righteousness.' They should have got incorporated
under a general law like our manufacturing law, and
obtained a suitable domain of at least 5760 acres of
land or three miles square, and should have built and
furnished a sufficient portion of a phalanstery to accom-
modate at least 400 persons, at the outset of organiza-
tion. I boldy pronounce all partial attempts, short of
such a beginning, a waste, and worse than a waste,
of time and brain, blood and muscle, soul and body,
John Greig."
A writer in the Phalanx (July 1844), viewing things
from a standpoint a little further off than Mr. Greig's,
gave the following more probable account of the Clark-
son failure :
" The original founders of this Association, no doubt
actuated by good motives, but lacking discretion, held
out such a brilliant prospect of comfort and pleasure in
the very infancy of the movement, that hundreds, with-
out any correct appreciation of the difficulties to be
undergone by a pioneer band, rushed upon the ground,
expecting at once to realize the heaven they so ardently
desired, and which the eloquent words of the lecturers
had warranted them to hope for. Thus, ignorant of
Association, possessed, for the most part, of little capital,
284 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
without adequate shelter from the inclemency of the
weather, or even a sufficient store of the most common
articles of food, without plan, and I had almost said,
without purpose, save to fly from the ills they had
already experienced in civilization, they assembled
together such elements of discord as naturally in a short
time led to their dissolution."
One feature of Mr. Greig's entertaining sketch
deserves notice in passing, viz., his cheerful boast of the
multiplicity of religions in the Clarkson Association, and
the wonderful harmony that prevailed among them. The
meaning of the boast undoubtedly is, that religious
belief was so completely a secondary and insignificant
matter, that it did not prevent peaceful family relations,
even between the atheists and the orthodox. This kind
of harmony is often spoken of in the accounts of other
Associations, and seems to have been a general charac-
teristic, or at least a desideratum, of the Owen and
Fourier schools. It is this harmonious indifference,
which we refer to when we speak of the Associations of
those schools as non-religious.
The primary Massachusetts Communities, however,
were hardly so free from religious limitations, though
they issued from the sects commonly called liberal.
The Brook Farmers, we- have seen, covered the National
Convention all over with the mantle of piety, insisting
that they were at work as devout Christians, and that
Fourierism, as they held it, was Christianity. And
Hopedale was even more zealous for Christianity than
Brook Farm. Collins's Community at Skaneateles, on
the other hand, went clear over to exclusive anti-religion;
and actually barred out by its original creed, all kinds of
CLARKSON PHALANX. 285
Christians, tolerating nobody but sound Atheists and
Deists.
The Northampton Association, which we have termed
Nothingarian, seems to have invented the happy medium
of the Clarkson platform, and in that respect may be
regarded as the prototype of the whole class of Fourier
Associations. The mixture of religions, however, at
Northampton, was not so harmonious as at Clarkson.
The historian of the Northampton Community says :
"The carrying out of different religious views was
perhaps the occasion of more disagreement than any
other subject ; and this disagreement, operated to general
disadvantage, as in consequence of it several valuable
members withdrew." We shall meet with similar disa-
greements and disasters in the Sodus Bay Phalanx and
other Associations, to be reported hereafter. So that it
does not seem altogether safe to huddle a great variety
of contradictory religions together in close Association,
notwithstanding the apparent results in the Clarkson
case. And it occurs, as a natural suggestion, that
possibly the Clarkson Association did not last long
enough to fairly test the results of a general mixture of
religions.
286 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE SODUS BAY PHALANX.
This Association originated about the same time as the
Clarkson Association (February 1844), and in the same
place (Rochester). The following description of its
domain is from the Herald of Freedom :
"We have at this place about 1,400 acres of choice
land, three hundred of which are under improvement.
It borders on Sodus Bay, the best harbor on Lake
Ontario, and for beauty of scenery, is not surpassed by
any tract in the State. We have on the domain two
streams of water, which can both be used for propelling
machinery. We number at present about three hundred
men, women and children. The buildings on the place
were nearly enough to accomm,odate the whole, the place
having formerly been occupied by the Shakers, who had
erected good buildings for their own accommodation."
The editor of the Phalanx visited this Association in
the autumn of 1844, and wrote of it as follows :
"The advantages of the location seemed to us very
rare, and it was with great pain that we discovered that
the internal condition of the Phalanx was not encourag-
ing. We did not find that unity of purpose, without
which a small and imperfectly provided Association can
SODUS BAY. 287
not be held together until it has attained the necessary
perfection in its mechanism. At the commencement, as
it appeared to us, there was not- sufficient caution in the
admission of members. A large number of persons
were received without proper qualification, either in
character or industrial abilities. Sickness unfortunately
soon arose in the new Phalanx, and increased the con-
fusion which resulted from a want of unity of feeling and
systematic organization. Religious differences, pressed
in an intolerant manner on both sides, had at the time
of our visit produced entire uncertainty as to future
operations, and carried disorder to its height. We left
the domain with the conviction, which reflection has
strengthened, that without an entire reorganization
under more efficient leaders, the Association must fall
entirely to pieces ; a fact which is greatly to be deplored
on account of the cause in general, as well as on account
of the excellence of the location, and the real worth of
several individuals who have passed unshaken through
such trying circumstances. We have, however, in the
case of this Phalanx, a striking example of the folly of
undertaking practical Association without sufficient
means, and without men of proper character. No other
advantages can compensate for the want of these."
Nearly a year later (September 1845), a member of
the Sodus Bay Phalanx wrote to the Harbinger in the fol-
lowing dubious vein :
" We have only about twelve or fifteen adult males,
and we believe we may safely say (from the amount of
labor performed the present season), not many unprofit-
able ones. We have learned wisdom from the many
difficulties and privations of last year, and there is now
evidently a settled and determined will to succeed in
288 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
our enterprise. There is, however, a debt which is very
discouraging ; $ 7,000 principal (besides $ 2,450 in-
terest), which will come due next spring, and an ability
on our part of paying no more than the interest."
About the beginning of 1846 John A. Collins of the
Skaneateles Community, visited Sodus Bay, and sent to
his paper, the Communitist, the following mournful
report :
" Experience has taught them that but little confidence
can be placed on calculations which are predicated upon a
newly-organized, or more properly disorganized, body of
heterogeneous materials, during the first and second
years of its existence. There is not the least doubt, but
that an energetic and efficient individual, with sufficient
capital to erect with the least possible delay the saw-
mill, lath, shingle, broom-handle, tub and pail, fork and
hoe-handle, last, and general turning machinery, and
employ as many first-class workmen as the business
would require, could in three years, pay both principal
and interest, and have the entire farm and several
thousand dollars besides. But an Association composed
of inexperienced, restless, indolent, feeble and selfish
individuals, would perish beneath the pressure of interest,
ere they could construct their mills, get their machinery
in operation, and become organized and systematized, so
that all things could be carried forward with that system
and perfection which characterize isolation and the older
established Communities.
" But had not capital stepped forth to crush this
movement, other elements equally poisonous and deadly
were introduced, which would have sealed its ruin. A
great portion of its members were brought together, not
SODUS BAY. 289
by a strong feeling or sympathy for the poor, noble phi-
lanthropy, or self-denying enthusiasm, but by the most
narrow selfishness. Add to this, that bane of all that is
meek, pure, noble and peaceful, religious bigotry was
carried in and incorporated into the constitution of the
Phalanx. Soon the body was divided into the religious
and liberal portions, both of which carried their views,
we think, to extremes.
" We were present at a business meeting, in the early
part of the fall of 1844. Each party, it seemed, felt
bound to oppose the wishes, plans and movements of
the other. We advised the more liberal portion of the
society quietly to withdraw, and allow the other party to
succeed if it possibly could. But they did not feel at
liberty to do so ; and soon after the religious body left,
taking with them what of their property they could find,
leaving those who remained (the liberal portion of the
society), comparatively destitute They felt determined
to succeed, and nobly have they combated, to the pres-
ent time, the hostile elements which have warred against
them with terrible force. United in sympathy and feel-
ing, they re-organized last spring ; but the interest was
too much for them to meet, and now there is no prospect
of their remaining as an Association longer than the
approaching April. Could those now upon the domain
purchase three or four hundred acres of the land, we
have not the least doubt but that they would succeed,
and ultimately come into possession of the valuable
wood-land adjoining. But this is impossible. In the
evening all the adults convened together, and at their
earnest request, we spoke for the space of an hour or
more upon the signs of the times, the evidences of sccia^l
progress, and the various minor difficulties that the
290 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
pioneers in this movement must necessarily have to
experience ; proving to the satisfaction of most of them,
we think, that Fourier's plan of distributing wealth, was
both arbitrary and superficial ; that it was a useless
eftbrt to unite two opposite and hostile elements, which
have no more affinity for each other than water and oil,
or fire and gunpowder ; that inasmuch as individual and
separate interests are the cause or occasion of nearly
all the crime, poverty, and suffering in civilized society,
it follows that the cause and occasion must be removed,
ere the effects will disappear. Still the difference
between Communists and Associationists is not so great,
that they should be opposed and alienated. It should
be our object to see the points of agreement, rather than
seek for points of disagreement. In the former we have
been too active and earnest. Association is a great
school for Communism. It will develop the false, and
point out the good.
"As we left this interesting spot the following morn-
ing, it was painful to think that those men and women,
who for nearly two years had struggled against great
odds, with their philanthropic, manly and heroic spirit,
with all their enthusiasm, zeal and confidence in the
beauty and practicability of the principles of social co-
operation, must soon be dispersed and thrown back
again, to act upon the selfish and beggarly principles of
strife and competition."
Macdonald ends the story in his usual sombre style as
follows :
"This experiment was a total failure. I have been
unable to gather many particulars concerning its last
days, and those I have obtained are of a very unfavor-
able character.
SODUS BAY. 291
"The chief cause of failure was religious difference.
Persons of various religious creeds could not agree.
There were some among them who thought it no sin to
labor on the Sabbath, and others who looked upon it as
an outrage, which the Phalanx should take action to
prevent. A committee was appointed to settle such
differences, but in this they failed. Sickness was an-
other of their troubles. They were severely afflicted
with typhoid erysipelas, and at one time forty-nine of
their members were upon the sick list.
" After laboring a year or two under these difficulties,
there was a hasty and disorderly retreat. It is said that
each individual helped himself to the movable property,
and that some decamped in the night, leaving the
remains of the Phalanx to be disposed of in any way
which the last men might choose. The fact that man-
kind do not like to have their faults and failings made
public, will probably account for the difficulty in obtain-
ing particulars of such experiments as the Sodus Bay
Phalanx."
Allen and Orvis, the lecturing missionaries of Brook
Farm, in that same letter from which we quoted some
time since a maledictory paragraph on the memory of
the Skaneateles Community, mention also the bad odor
of the defunct confederated Phalanxes of Western New
York, in the following disrespectful terms. Their letter
is dated at Rochester, September 1847:
"The prospect for meetings in this city is less favor-
able than that of any place where we have previously
visited. It is the nest wherein was hatched that anom-
alous brood of birds, called the 'Sodus Bay Phalanx,'
' The Clarkson Phalanx,' the ' Bloomfield Phalanx,' and
the ' Ontario Union.' The very name of Association is
292 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
odious with the public, and the unfortunate people who
went into these movements in such mad haste, have
been ridiculed till endurance is no longer possible, and
they have slunk away from the sight and knowledge of
their neighbors."
The experience of the Sodus Bay Phalanx in regard
to religion, suggests reflections. Let us improve the
opportunity to study some of the practical relations of
religion to Association.
The object and end of Association in all its forms, as
we have frequently said, is to gather men, women and
children into larger and more permanent homes than
those established by marriage. The advantages of
partnership, incorporation and cooperation have become
so manifest in modern affairs, that an unspeakable long-
ing has arisen in the very heart of civilization for the
extension of those advantages to the dearest of all hu-
man interests — family affairs — the business of home.
The charm that drew the western New Yorkers together
in such rushing multitudes, was simply the prospect of
home on the large scale, which indeed is heaven.
Now if we consider the laws which govern the forma-
tion of homes on the small scale, we shall be likely to
get some wisdom in regard to their formation on the
large scale.
And in the first place, it is evident that homes formed
by the conjunction of pairs in the usual way, are not all
harmonious — perhaps we might say, are not generally
harmonious. Families quarrel and break up, as well as
Associations ; and if husbands and wives were as free
to separate as the members of Association are, possibly
marriage would not make much better show than Social-
ism has made. Human nature, as we have seen it in
SODUS BAY. ' 293
the Communities and Phalanxes — discordant, centrif-
ugal— is the same in marriage. Now, as experience has
developed something like a code of rules that govern
prudent people in venturing on marriage, our true way
is to study that code, and apply it as far as possible to
the vastly greater venture of Association.
Fourier's dream that two or three thousand discordant
centrifugal individuals in one great home, would fall, by
natural gravitation, into a balance of passions, and
realize a harmony unattainable on the small scale of
familism, has not been confirmed by experience, and
seems to us the wildest opposite of truth. We should
expect, a priori, that with discordant materials, the
greater the formation, the worse would be the hell : and
this is just what has been proved by all the experiments.
Let us go back, then, and study the rules of harmony
in the formation of com.m.on families.
Probably there is not one among those rules so
familiar and so universally approved by the prudent, as
that which advises men and women not to marry without
agreement in religion This rule has nothing to do with
bigotry. It does not look at the supposed truth or
falsehood ol different religious creeds. It simply says:
Let the Catholic marry the Catholic ; the Orthodox, the
Orthodox ; the Deist, the Deist ; the Nothingarian, the
Nothingarian ; but do n't match these discords together,
if you wish for family peace. Now this is the precept
which the Fourier Associations, as we see, deliberately
violated ; and yet they expected peace, and complained
dreadfully because they did not get it ! There is latent
quarrel enough in the religious opposition of a single
pair, to spoil a family ; and yet these Socialists ventured
on hundred-fold complications of such oppositions, with a
294 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
heroism that would be sublime, if it were not desperately
unwise.
It is useless to say that religion is an affair of the
inner man and need not disturb external relations. It
did disturb the external relations of the Socialists at
Sodus Bay, and could not do otherwise. They quarreled
about the Sabbath, It did disturb the external relation.s
of the Northampton Socialists. They quarreled about
amusements. Religion always extends from the inner
man to such external things.
It is useless to say, as Collins evidently wished to
insinuate, that the bigoted sort of religionists, those of
the orthodox order, were alone to blame. In the first
place this is not true. All the witnesses say, Collins
among the rest, that both parties pushed and hooked.
And in the next place, if it were true, it would only
show the importance of excluding the orthodox from
Associations, and the value of the rule that forbids
marrying religious discords.
Even Collins, with all his liberality, had originally
too much good sense to attempt Association in the
promiscuous way of the Fourierists. His first idea was
to make his Community a sort of close-communion
church of infidelity ; and, as it turned out, this was his
brightest idea ; for in abandoning it he succumbed to
his more religious rival, Johnson, and admitted quarrel-
ing and weakness that ruined the enterprise. His
advice also to the liberal party at Sodus Bay to with-
draw, shows that his judgment was opposed to the
heterogeneous mixtures that were popular among the
Fourierists.
On the whole it seems to us that it should be con-
sidered settled by reason and experience, that the rule
SOD us BAY. 295
we have found governing the prudential theory of
marriage on the small scale, should be transferred to the
theory of Association, which is really marriage on the
large scale. Better not marry at all, than marry a
religious quarrel. Better have no religion, than have
a dozen different religions, as they had at Clarkson.
If you mean to found a Community for peace and
permanence, first of all find associates that agree with
you in religion, or at least in no-rehgion, and if possible
bar out all others. Remember that all the successful
Communities are harmonious, and the basis of their
harmony is unity in religion. If you think you can find
a way to secure harmony in no-religion, try it. But
don't be so foolish as to enter on the tremendous respon-
sibilities of Community-building, with a complication of
religious quarrels lurking in your material.
296 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXV.
OTHER NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS.
Tup: next on the list of the Confederated Associations
of western New York, was
THE BLOOMFIELl) ASSOCIATION.
We have but meager accounts of this experiment.
Macdonald does not mention it. The Phalanx of June
[5, 1844, says that it commenced operations on the 15th
of March in that year, on a domain of about five hun-
dred acres, mostly improved land, situated one mile east
of Honeoye Falls, in the Counties of Monroe, Livingston
and Ontario ; that it was in debt for its land about
$ 1 1,000, and had ^ 35,000 of its subscriptions actually
paid in ; that it had one hundred and forty-eight resident
members, and a large number more expecting to join, as
soon as employment could be found for them. Two or
three allusions to this Association occur afterward in the
Phalanx, congratulating it on its prospects, and men-
tioning good reports of its progress. Finally in the
Harbin^(^cr, volume i, page 247, we find a letter from E.
D. Wight and E. A. Stillman, dated August 20, 1845.
NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS. 297
defending the Association against newspaper charges,
and asserting its continued prosperity ; but giving us
the following peep into a complication of troubles, that
probably brought it to its end shortly afterwards :
" We are not fully satisfied with the tenor by which
our real estate, under the existing laws, is obliged to be
held. Conveyances, pursuant to legal advice, were made
originally by the owners of each particular parcel, to the
committee of finance, in trust for the stockholders and
members ; and a power was executed by the stockholders
to the committee, by which, under certain regulations,
they were to have authority to sell and convey the same.
The absurdity ol the Statute of Trusts never having
been licked into shape by judicial decisions, a close and
unavailing search has since been instituted for the fugi-
tive legal title.
" Some counselors, learned in the law, find it in the
committee of finance, as representatives of the Associa-
tion ; others have discovered that it is vested in them as
individuals ; others still, of equal eminence, and equally
intent on arriving at a true solution, find perhaps that it
is in the committee and stockholders jomtly ; while
there are those who profess to find it in neither of these
parties, but in the persons of whom the property was
purchased, and to whom has been paid its full valuation !
" In order to educe order out of this confusion of
opinions, and to enable us to acquire, if possible, a less
objectionable title, it has been proposed to petition the
Chancellor for a sale, as a title from the court would be
free from doubt."
If this may be considered the end (as it probably was),
it shows that the Bloomfield Association died, as the
298 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Clarkson did, in a quarrel about its titles, and in the
hands of the lawyers.
THE ONTARIO UNION.
"This Association" says the Phalanx oi June 1844,
"commenced operations about two weeks since, in
Hopewell, OntaRo County, five miles from Canandaigua.
They have purchased the mills and farm formerly owned
by Judge Bates, consisting of one hundred and fifty acres
of land, a flouring mill with five run of burr stones, and
saw-mill, at $ 16,000. They have secured by subscrip-
tion, about one hundred and thirty acres of land in the
immediate vicinity, which they are now working. To
meet their liabilities for the original purchase, I am in-
formed they have already a subscription which they
believe can be relied on, amounting to over ^40,000.
They have now upon the domain about seventy-five
members. This institution has been able already to
commence such branches of industry as will produce an
immediate return, and as a consequence, will avoid the
necessity of living upon their capital. There is danger
that their enthusiasm will get the better of their
judgment in admitting members too fast."
The editor of the Phalanx visited this Association
among others, in the fall of 1844, and gave the following
cheerful account of it :
" The whole number of resident members is one hun-
dred and fifty ; fifty of whom are men, and upward of
si.xty children. We were greatly pleased with the
earnest spirit which seemed to pervade this little Com-
munity. We thought we perceived among them a really
religious devotion to the great cause in which they have
embarked. This gave an unspeakable charm to their
NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS. 299
rude, temporary dwellings, and lent a grace to their plain
manners, far above any superficial elegance. We have
no doubt that they will succeed in establishing a state
of society higher even than they themselves anticipate.
Of their pecuniary success their present condition gives
good assurance. We should think that, with ordinary
prudence, it was entirely certain."
We find nothing after this in the PJialanx about this
Association. Macdonald merely mentions a few such
items as the date, place, etc., and concludes with the
following terse epitaph : " It effected but little, and was
of brief duration. No further particulars."
THE MIXVILLE ASSOCIATION
was one of the group that radiated from Rochester,
according to Mr. Greig ; but we can find no account of
it anywhere, except that it had not commenced opera-
tions at the time of the session of the Confederated
Council ; though a delegate from it was a member of
that Council. How long it lived, or whether it lived at
all, does not appear.
THE JEFFERSON COUNTY PHALANX.
This Association, though not properly a member of
the group that radiated from Rochester, and somewhat
remote from western New York, was named among the
confederated Associations, and sent a delegate to the
Bloomfield Council. Three notices of it occur in the
Phalanx, which we here present.
[From the Phalanx October 5, 1843.]
" This Association has been commenced through the
efforts, principally, of A. M. Watson, Esq., the President,
who for some years past has been engaged in advocating
300 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and disseminating the principles of Association in
Watertown and that section of the State. There are
over three hundred persons now on the domain, which
consists of twelve or fifteen hundred acres of superior
land, finely watered, and situated within two or three
miles of Watertown. It is composed of several farms,
put in by farmers, who have taken stock for their lands,
and joined the Association. Very little cash capital has
been paid in ; the enterprise was undertaken with the
subscription of property, real estate, provisions, tools,
implements, &c., brought in by the members, who were
principally farmers and mechanics in the neighborhood ;
and the result is an interesting proof of what can be
done by union and combined effort among the produc-
ing classes. Different branches of manufactures have
been established, contracts for building in Watertown
have been taken, and an organization of labor into
groups or squads, with their foremen or leaders, has been
made to some extent. The agricultural department is
prosecuted with vigor, and when last heard from,
the Association was flourishing. We hope from this
Association that perseverance and constancy — for it of
course has many difficulties to contend with — which
will insure success, and give another proof of the truth
of the great principles of combined effort and united
interests."
[From the FAa/anx, November 4, 1843.]
"The following statement from the B/ack River
you7'7ial of October 6th, exhibits the afiairs of the
Jefferson County Association in a gratifying light, and
shows that so far it has been extremely prosperous and
successful. The fact alone of a profit having been
made, whether much or little, affords a strong proof of
NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS. 3OI
the advantages of associated efifort, for we apprehend
that either farmers or mechanics working separately,
would generally find it difficult to show a balance in
their favor upon the settlement of their accounts. But
a net profit of nearly thirteen thousand dollars, or
twenty-five per cent, upon the capital invested, for the
first six months that a small Association has been in
operation, under circumstances by no means the most
favorable, is striking and incontestable evidence of real
prosperity. Before a great while we shall have many such
cases to record.
ABSTRACT OF SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT.
The first Semi-Annual Report of the property, expendit-
ures and proceeds of labor of the Jefferson County Industrial
Association, was submitted to a meeting of the stockholders
on Monday the 2d inst.
Since the organization of the Association in April last, the
real and personal property acquired by purchase and sub-
scription, has reached the amount of $54,832.10
This is subject to reduction by the
amount of subscribed property applied
to the purchase of real estate . . . 5,458.28
Total property on hand $49,373.82
The aggregate product of the several
departments of business, to Sept. 23d $20,301.67
Expense of same, including all pur-
chases of goods and supplies .... 7,331-95
Net proceeds $12,969.72
Of this has been expended in improvement of
buildings, making a brick-yard, and preparing sum-
mer fallows . . - . . 1,365.00
Balance on hand $11,604.72
This balance consists of agricultural products in store,
302 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
brick manufactured and now on hand, proceeds of jobbing
contracts, earnings of mechanics' shops, etc.
Published by order of the President and Board of Directors.
Report of A. M. IVatson to the Confederate Council,
May 15, 1844.
" The Jefferson County Association has made its first
annual statement, by which it appears that capital in
that institution will receive a fraction over six per cent,
interest. Owing to inattention to the principles of
Association, and a defective and incomplete organiza-
tion of industry into groups and series, as well as to the
fact that in the commencement much time is lost, labor
in this institution fails to obtain its fair remuneration.
Another circumstance which has operated to the disad-
vantage of labor, is, that no allowance has been made in
its favor, in the annual settlement, for working dresses.
These facts are conclusive, to my mind, that the disad-
vantages of improper or inadequate organization in all
institutions, will be even more injurious to labor than to
capital.
" This institution commenced operations without the
investment of much, if any, cash capital, and they now
are somewhat embarrassed for want of such means. A
subscription to their stock of two thousand dollars in
cash, or a loan of that amount for a reasonable time, for
which good security could be given, would, in my
opinion, place them in a situation to carry on a very
profitable business the ensuing year. If this obstacle
can be surmounted, I know of no institution of better
promise than this. This would seem to be but a small
matter ; but when the fact is considered that they are
located in the midst of a community which sympathizes
but little in the movement, while many exert themselves
NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS. 303
to increase the embarrassment by decrying their respon-
sibiUty, it will readily be seen that their situation is
unenviable. Their responsibility, when compared with
that of most business concerns in the country, is more
real than that of a majority of business men who are
considered perfectly solvent. Considering the difficul-
ties and embarrassments through which they have
already struggled, I have strong confidence in their ulti-
mate success. The whole number of meml)ers will not
vary much at this time, from one hundred and fifty.
They have reduced, by sale, their lands to about eight
hundred acres, and I refer you to the annual report for
further information as to their liabilities."
We perceive in the depressed tone of this report, as
well as in the reduction of numbers and land which it
exhibits, that decline had begun and failure was impend-
ing. Nothing more is said in the Phalanx about this
Association, except that it sent a delegate to a socialistic
convention that met in New York City on the 7th of
October, 1844. We have to fall back, as usual, on
Macdonald, for the summing-up and final moral. He
says :
"After a few months, disagreements among the
members became general. Their means were totally
inadequate ; they were too ignorant of the principles of
Association ; were too much crowded together, and had
too many idlers among them. There was bad man-
agement on the part of the officers, and some were
suspected of dishonesty. As times grew better, many
of those who joined on account of hard times, got
employment and left ; and many more thought they
could do better in the world again, and did the same
304 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
thing. The only aid they could get in their difficulties,
was from stock subscriptions, and that was not much.
Men who invested actual property sustained heavy
losses. One farmer who involved his farm, lost nearly
all he possessed. After existing about twelve months
the land was sold to pay the debts, and the Association
disbanded."
THE MOORHOUSE UNION
is mentioned in the first number of the Phalanx,
October 1843, as one among the many Associations just
starting at that time. Macdonald gives the following
account of it :
"This experiment originated in the offer of a grant of
land by A. K. Moorhouse, of Moorhouseville, Hamilton
County, New York, who owned 60,000 acres of land in
the counties of Hamilton, Herkimer and Saratoga. As
most of this land was situated in what is called the ' wil-
derness of New York,' he could find few persons who
were willing to purchase and settle the inhospitable
wild. Under these circumstances he offered to the
Socialists as much of 10,000 acres as they might clear in
three years, hoping that an Association would build up a
village and form a nucleus around which individuals and
Associations might settle and purchase his lands.
" The offer was accepted by an Association formed in
New York City, and several capitalists promised to take
stock in the enterprise; but none was ever paid for. In
May 1843, Mr. Moorhouse arrived at Piseco from New
York, with a company of pioneers, who were soon
followed by others, and the work commenced. The
locality chosen at Lake Piseco was situated about five
miles from Lake Pleasant, the county seat, a village of
NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS. 305
eight or nine houses and a court-house. On the arrival
of the party it was found that Mr. Moorhouse had made
some improvements, which he was wilhng to exchange
for $2,000 of stock in the Association. This was agreed
to. He also engaged to furnish provisions, tools etc.,
and take his pay in stock. The land on which the
Association commenced its labors was a gift from Mr
Moorhouse ; but the improvements which consisted of
120 acres of cleared land with a few buildings, was
accepted as stock at the above valuation.
"The money, property and labor were put into
common stock. Labor was rated at fifty cents per day,
no matter of what kind. A store was kept on the
premises, in which articles were sold at prime cost, with
an allowance for transportation, &c. By the constitution
the members were entitled to scrip representing the
excess of wages over the amount of goods received from
the store ; or, in other words, laborers became stock-
holders in proportion to that excess. No dividends
were to be declared for the first five years.
"The persons thus congregated to carry out the
principles of Association [number not stated], belonged
to a variety of occupations ; but it appears that but few
of them were adapted to the wants of the Community.
Some of the members were intelligent and moral people ;
put the majority were very inferior. No property
qualifications were necessary to admission. It appears
that members were obtained by an agent, who took
indiscriminately all he could get. The most common
religious belief among them was Methodist ; but a large
proportion of them did not profess any religion, and
some were what is commonly called infidels.
"Though the persons congregated here had left but
306 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
humble homes and poor circumstances generally, yet the
circumstances now surrounding them were worse than
those they had left, and as a natural consequence there
was a deterioration of character. Not having formed
any organization in the city, as is customary in such
experiments, they received no aid from without ; and the
want of this aid does not appear to have insured success,
as some enthusiastic Socialists have imagined that it
would ; but on the contrary a most signal failure
ensued.
"The leading persons were Mr. Moorhouse and a
relative of his named Brown. The former furnished
every thing and turned it in as stock. The latter kept
the store and the accounts. The members do not
appear to have been acquainted with the mode in which
either the store or books were kept.
" At the commencement, when they were sufficiently
supplied from the store, they agreed tolerably well ; but
during the latter period of the experiment, when Mr.
Moorhouse began to be slack in buying things for the
members, there was a good deal of disagreement. The
store was nearly always empty, and when anything was
brought into it, there was a general scramble to see who
should get the most. This, as a matter of course,
produced much jealousy and quarreling. All kinds of
suspicions were afloat, and it was generally reported
that the executive, including the store-keeper, fared
better than the rest.
" Some work was done, and some improvements were
made upon the land. Rye and potatoes were planted,
and probably consumed. The experiment existed a few
months, and then by degrees died away."
NEW YORK EXPERIMENTS. 3O7
The following from a person who took part in the
experiment, will give the reader a nearer view of the
causes of the failure :
"The population congregated at Piseco was com-
posed of all nations, characters and conditions ; a
motley group of ill-assorted materials, as inexperienced
as it was heterogeneous. We had some specimens of
the raw material of human nature, and some of New
York manufacture spoiled in the making. There were
philosophers and philanthropists, bankrupt merchants
and broken-down grocery-keepers ; officers who had
retired from the Texan army on half-pay ; and some
who had retired from situations in the New York ten-pin
alleys. There were all kinds of ideas, notions, theories,
and whims ; all kinds of religions ; and some persons
without any. There was no unanimity of purpose, or
congeniality of disposition ; but there was plenty of
discussion, and an abundance of variety, which is called
the spice of life. This spice however constituted the
greater part of the fare, as we sometimes had scarcely
anything else to eat.
" At first we were pretty well off for provisions ; but
soon the supplies began to be reduced ; and in Novem-
ber the list of luxuries and necessaries commenced with
rye and ended with potatoes, with nothing between !
As the supplies were cut off, the number of members
decreased. They were starved out. But of course the
starving process was slower in those cases where the
individuals had not the means of transportation back to
the white settlements. When I left the 'promised land'
in March 1844, there were only six families remaining.
I had determined to see it out ; but the state of things
was so bad, and the prospects ditto, that I could stand
308 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
it no longer. I thought the whole would soon fall into
the hands of Mr. Moorhouse, and I could not afford to
spend any more time in a cause so hopeless. I had
given nine months' time, was half starved, got no pay,
had worn out my clothes, and had my best coat
borrowed without leave, by a man who went to New
York some time before. This I thought might suffice
for one experiment. I left the place less sanguine than
when I went there that Associations could succeed
without capital and without a good selection of mem-
bers. Yet my belief was as firm as ever in the coming
abolition of conflicting interests, and the final harmo-
nious reconstruction of society."
Here ends the history of the Fourier Associations in
the State of New York. The Ohio experiments come
next.
309
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE MARLBORO ASSOCIATION.
As in New England, so in Ohio, the general socialistic
excitement of 1841 and afterwards, gave rise to several
experiments that had nothing to do with Fourier's
peculiar philosophy. We begin with one of these in-
digenous productions.
Mrs. Esther Ann Lukens, a member of the Marlboro
Community, answered Macdonald's inquiries about its
history. We copy the greater part of her story :
Mrs. Lukens* s Narrative.
" The Marlboro Community seems, as I think of it, to
have had its existence so entirely in dreams of human
advancement and the generous wish to promote it, and
also in ignorance of all but the better part of human
nature, that it is hard to speak of it as a dona fide
portion of our plodding work-a-day world.
" It was originated by a few generous and ardent
spirits, who were disgusted with the oppressive and
antagonistic conditions of ordinary labor and commerce.
The only remedy they saw, was a return to the apostolic
manner of living — that of 'having all things common.'
" The Association was first talked of and its principles
3IO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
generally discussed in Clinton County, some years before
anything- was done. Many in all parts of Ohio partici-
pated in this discussion, and warmly urged the scheme ;
but only a few were found who were hopeful and
courageous enough to dare the final experiment.
"The gathering commenced in 1841 on the farm of
Mr. E. Brooke, and consisted at first of his family and a
few other persons. Gradually the number increased,
and another farm was added by the free gift of Dr. A.
Brooke, or rather by his resigning all right and title to it
as an individual, and delivering it over to the joint own-
ership of the great family.
" As may be supposed, the majority of those who
gathered around this nucleus, were without property, and
very slenderly gifted with the talent of acquiring it, but
thoroughly honest, philanthropic, warmly social, and
willing to perform what appeared to them the right
amount of labor belonging to freemen in a right state
of society. They forgot in a few instances, that this
right state did not exist, but was only dreamed about,
and had yet to be realized by more than common labor
with the hands.
" The Community had but little property of any value
but land, and that was in an uncultivated, half-wild state.
There were a few hundred dollars in hand ; 1 can not
say how many ; but certainly not half the amount
required for purchases that seemed immediately neces-
sary. There was a good house and barn on each farm,
each house capable of accommodating comfortably three
families, besides three small tenant houses of logs,
capable of accommodating one family each. There
were also on the premises four or five horses and a few
cattle and sheep.
MARLBORO ASSOCIATION. 3II
" It became necessary, as the numbers increased, to
purchase the farm intervening between the one first
owned by E. Brooke, and the one given by Dr. A.
Brooke, both for convenience in passing and repassing,
and for the reason that more land was needed to give
employment to all. The owner asked an exorbitant
price, knowing our necessities ; but it was paid, or
rather promised, and so a load of debt was contracted.
" The members generally were eminently moral and
intellectual. As to religious belief, they were what
people called, and perhaps justly. Free-thinkers. In
our conferences for purposes of improvement and do-
mestic counsel, which were held on Sundays, religion,
as a distinct obligation, was never mentioned.
" Provisions were easily procured. One of the farms
had a large orchard, and our living was confined to the
plainest vegetable diet ; so that much time was left for
social and mental improvement. All will join with me
in saying that love and good fellowship reigned para-
mount ; so that all enjoyed good care during sickness,
and kindly sympathy at all times.
" About a year and a-half after its foundation, the
Community sustained a great loss by the death of one
of its most efficient and ardent supporters, Joseph
Lukens. It was after this period that a constitution or
form of Association was framed, and many persons were
admitted who had different views of property and the
basis of rights, from what were generally held at the be-
ginning.
" The existence of the Community, from first to last,
was nearly four years. If I should say there was perfect
unanimity of feeling to the last, it would not be true.
Yet there were no quarrels, and all discussions among us
312 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
were temperate and kind. As to our breaking up, there
was no cause for it clear to my mind, except the compli-
cated state of the business concerns, the amount of debt
contracted, and the feeling that each one would work
with more energy, for a time at least, if thrown upon his
own resources, with plenty of elbow-room and nothing to
distract his attention."
Mr. Thomas Moore, also a member of this Com-
munity, gave his opinion of the cause of its decease in a
separate paper, as follows :
Mr. Moore s Post Mortem.
" The failure of this experiment may be traced to the
fact that the minds of its originators were not homoge-
neous. They all agreed that in a properly organized
Community, there should be no buying and selling be-
tween the members, but that each should share the
common products according to his necessity. But while
Dr. A. Brooke held that this principle should govern
our conduct in our interchange with the whole world,
the others believed it right for any number of individuals
to separate themselves from the surrounding world, and
form themselves into a distinct Community; and while
they had every thing free among themselves, continue to
traffic in the common way with those outside. And
again, while many believed they were prepared to enter
into a Community of this kind, Mr. Edward Brooke had
his doubts, fearing that the time had not yet arrived
when any considerable number of individuals could live
together on these principles ; that though some might be
prompted to enter into such relations through principles
of humanity and pure benevolence, others would come in
from motives altogether selfish ; and that discord would
MARLBORO ASSOCIATION. 313
be the result. Dr. A. Brooke, not being willing to be con-
fined in any Community that did not embrace the whole
world, stepped out at the start, but left the Community
in possession of his property during his life ; believing
that to be as long as he had any right to dispose of it.
But Edward Brooke yielded to the views of others, and
went on with the Community.
" For some time the members who came in from
abroad added nothing of consequence to the common
stock. Some manifested by their conduct that their
objects were selfish, and being disappointed, left again.
Others, who perhaps entered from purer motives, also
became dissatisfied for various reasons and left ; and so
the Community fluctuated for some time. At length
three families were admitted as members, who had
property invested in farms, and who were to sell the
farms and devote the proceeds to the common stock.
Two of these, after having tried community life a year,
concluded to leave before they had sold their farms ; and
the third, not being able to sell, there was a lack of
capital to profitably employ the members ; and the
consequence was, there was not quite enough produced
to support the Community. Discovering this to be the
case, several of the persons who originally owned the
property became dissatisfied ; and although according to
the principles of the Community they had no greater
interest in that property than any other members, yet
it was no less a fact that they had donated it nearly all
(excepting Dr. A. Brooke's lease), and that now they
would like to have it back. This placed the true
Socialists in delicate circumstances. Being without
pecuniary means of their own, they could not exercise
the power that had voluntarily been placed in their
314 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
hands, to control these dissatisfied ones, so as to cause
them, against their will, to leave their property in 'the
hands of the Community. The property was freely
yielded up, though with the utmost regret. My opinion
therefore is that the experiment failed at the time it did,
through lack of faith in those who had the funds, and
lack of funds in those who had the faith."
Dr. A. Brooke, who devoted his land to the Marlboro
Community, but stepped out himself, because he would
not be confined to anything less than Communism with
the world, afterwards tried a little experiment of his own,
which failed and left no history. Macdonald visited him
in 1844, and reports some curious things about him,
which may give the reader an idea of what was probably
the most radical type of Communism that was developed
in the Socialistic revival of 1841 — 3.
" Dr. Brooke" says Macdonald, "was a tall, thin man,
with gray hair, and beard quite unshaven. His face
reminded me of the ancient Philosophers. His only cloth-
ing was a shirt and pantaloons ; nothing else on either
body, head, or feet. He invited us into his comfortable
parlor, which was neatly furnished and had a good
supply of books and papers. Our breakfast consisted of
cold baked apples, cold corn bread, and I think potatoes.
" We questioned him much concerning his strange
notions, and in the course of conversation I remarked,
that such men as Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, Josiah
Warren and others, had each a certain number of
fundamental principles, upon which to base their
theories, and I wished to understand definitely what
fundamental principles he had, and how many of them.
He replied that he had only one principle, and that was
MARLBORO ASSOCIATION. 315
to do what he considered right. He said he attended
the sick whenever he was called upon, for which he
made no charge. When he wanted anything which he
knew one of his neighbors could supply, he sent to that
neighbor for it. He shewed me a brick out-building at
the back of his cottage, which he said had been put up
for him by masons in the vicinity. He made it known
that he wanted such work done, and no less than five
men came to do it for him.
Macdonald adds the following story :
" I remember when in Cincinnati, one Sunday after-
noon at a Fourier meeting I heard Mr. Benjamin Urner
read a letter from Dr. A. Brooke to some hardware
merchants in Cincinnati (the Brothers Donaldson in
Main street, I believe), telling them that his necessities
required a variety of agricultural tools, such as a plow,
harrow, axes, etc., and requesting that they might be
sent on to him. He stated that he had given up the use
of money, that he gave his professional services free of
cost to those whose necessities demanded them, and for
any thing his necessities required he applied to those
whom he thought able to give. Mr. Urner stated that
this strange individual had been the post-master of the
place where he now lived, but that he had given up the
office so that he might not have to use money. He also
informed us that the hardware merchants very kindly
sent on the articles to Dr. Brooke free of cost ; which
announcement gave great satisfaction to the meeting."
3l6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXVII.
PRAIRIE HOME COMMUNITY.
This Association (another indigenous production) with
several like attempts, originated with Mr. John O.
Wattles, Valentine Nicholson and others, who, after
attending a socialistic convention in New York in 1843,
lectured on Association at various places on their way
back to the West. Orson S. Murray, the editor of the
Regenerator, was also interested in this Community, and
was on his way with his printing establishment to join it
and publish his paper under its auspices, when he was
wrecked on Lake Erie, and lost nearly every thing but
his life.
Prairie Home is a beautiful location near West Liberty
in Logan County, Ohio. The domain consisted of over
five hundred acres ; half of which on the hills was well-
timbered, and the remainder was in fine rich fields
stretching across the prairie.
The members numbered about one hundred and
thirty, nearly all of whom were born and bred in the
West. Of foreigners there were only two Englishmen
and one German. Most of the members were agricul-
turists. Many of them had been Hicksite Quakers. A
few were from other sects, and some from no sect at all.
There were but few children.
PRAIRIE HOME. 317
A few months before the dissolution of this Com-
munity Macdonald visited it, and staid several days.
His gossiping report of what he saw and heard gives
as good an inside view of the transitory species of
Associations as any we find in his collections. We quote
the most of it :
Macdonald s visit at Prairie Home.
" On arriving at West Liberty I inquired eagerly for
the Community ; but when very coldly and doubtfully
told that it was somewhere down the Urbana road, and
seeing that folks in the town did not seem to know or
care much where it was, my ardor sensibly abated, and I
began to doubt whether it was much of an affair after
all ; but I pushed on, anxious at once to see the place
" On reaching the spot where I was told I should find
the Community, I turned off from the main road up a
lane, and soon met a gaunt-looking individual, rough but
very polite, having the look of a Quaker, which I after-
wards found he was. He spoke kindly to me, and
directed me where to go. There was a two-story frame
house at the entrance of the lane, which belonged to the
Community ; also a log cabin at the other corner of the
lane. After walking a short distance I arrived at another
two-story frame house, opposite to which was a large
flour-mill on a little stream, and an old saw-mill, looking
very rough. At the door of the dwelling-house there was
a group of women and girls, picking wool ; and as it
was just noon, many men came in from various parts of
the farm to take their dinner. At the back of the house
there was a long shed, with a rough table down the cen-
ter, and planks for seats on each side, on which thirty or
forty people sat. I was kindly received by them, and
3l8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
invited to dinner ; and a good dinner it was, consisting
of coarse brown bread piled up in broken lumps, dishes
of large potatoes unpeeled, some potato-soup, and a
supply of melons for a second course.
" I sat beside a Dr. Hard, who noticed that I took a
little salt with my potatoes, and remarked to me that if
I abstained from it, I would have my taste much more
perfect. There was but little salt on the table, and I
saw no person touch it. There was no animal food of
any kind except milk, which one or two of them used.
They all appeared to eat heartily. The women waited
upon the table, but the variety of dishes being small,
each person so attended to himself that waiting was
rendered almost unnecessary. All displayed a rude
politeness.
"After dinner I fell in with a cabinet-maker, a young
man from Bond street, London, and had quite a chat
with him ; also an elderly man from England, John
Wood by name, who was acquainted with the socialistic
movement in that country. I then went to see the man
work the saw-mill, and was much pleased with his
apparent interest and industry.
"Not finding the acquaintance I was in search of at
this place, and hearing that he was at another Com-
munity or branch of Prairie Home, about nine miles
distant in a northerly direction (which they called the
Upper Domain or Highland Home or Zanesfield), I
determined to see him that night, and after obtaining
necessary information I started on my journey.
"The walk was long, and it was dark before I reached
the Community farm. At length the friendly bow-wow
of a dog told of the habitable dwelling, and soon I was
in the comfortable and pretty looking farm house at
PRAIRIE HOME. 319
Highland Home. This Community consisted of only
ten or twelve persons. Here I found my friend, and
after a wholesome Grahamite supper of corn -bread,
apple-pie and milk, I had a long conversation with him
and others on Community matters. I put many ques-
tions to them, all of which were answered satisfactorily.
Here is a specimen of our dialogue :
"Do you make laws.-* No. Does the majority govern
the minority.'' No. Have you any delegated power.''
No. Any kind of government ? No. Do you express
opinions and principles as a body? No. Have you
any form of society or test for admission of members.^
No. Do you assist runaway slaves .-• Yes. Must you
be Grahamites.^ No. Do you object to religionists.''
No. What are the terms of admission ? The land is
free to all ; let those who want, come and use it. Any
particular trades.^ No. Can persons take their earn-
ings away with them when they leave.'' Yes.
" Their leading principle, they repeatedly told me, was
to endeavor to practice the golden rule, ' Do as you
would be done by.'
" The next morning I took a walk round the farm. It
was a nice place, and appeared to have been well kept
formerly, but now there was some disorder. The work-
men appeared to be without clear ideas of the duties
they were to perform. It seemed as if they had not
made up their minds- what they could do, or what they
intended to do. Some of them were feeble-looking
men, and in conversation with them I ascertained that
several, both here and at Prairie Home, had adopted
the present mode of Grahamite living to improve their
health.
" Phrenology seemed to be pretty generally under-
320 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Stood, and I was surprised to hear rude-looking men,
almost ragged, ploughing, fence-making, and in like
employments, converse so freely upon Phrenology,
Physiology, Magnetism, Hydropathy, &c. The Phreno-
logical yournal was taken by several of them.
" I visited a neighboring farm, said to belong to the
Community, the residence, I believe, of Horton Brown,
with whom I had an interesting conversation on religion
and Community matters. He said they took the golden
rule as their guide, ' Do unto others as ye would have
others do unto you.' I reminded him that even the
golden rule was subject to individual interpretation, and
might be misinterpreted.
'* Saturday, August 25, 1844. — I noticed several per-
sons here were sick with various complaints, and those
who were not sick labored very leisurely. During the
day four men arrived from Indiana to see the place and
'join the Community;' but there were no accommoda-
tions for them. They reported quite a stir in Indiana
in regard to the Community.
"In the afternoon my friend was ready to return to
Cincinnati, whither he was going to try and induce his
family to come to Zanesfield. We walked to Prairie
Home that evening. At night we were directed to
sleep at the two-story frame house at the entrance of the
lane. At that place there seemed to be much confusion ;
too many people and too many idlers among them. The
young women were most industrious, attending to the
supper table and the provisions in a very steady,
business-like manner ; but the young men were mostly
lounging about doing nothing. At bed-time there were
too many persons for each to be accommodated with a
bed ; so the females all went up stairs and slept as they
PRAIRIE HOME. 321
could ; and the males slept below, all spread out in rows
upon the floor. This was unpleasant, and as the sequel
proved, could not long be endured.
" Prairie Home, Sunday, August 26. — In the morning,
there was a social meeting of all the members. The
weather was too wet and cold for them to meet on the
hills, as was intended ; so they adjourned to the flour-
mill, and seated themselves as best they could, on chairs
and planks, men and women all together. Such a
meeting as this was quite a novel sight for me. There
was no chairman, no secretary and no constitution or
by-laws to preserve order. Yet I never saw a more
orderly meeting. The discussions seemed chiefly relat-
ing to agricultural matters. One man rose and stated
that there was certain plowing to be done on the follow-
ing day, and if it was thought best by the brothers and
sisters, he would do it. Another rose and said he would
volunteer to do the plowing if the first one pleased, and
he might do something else. There appeared to be
some competition in respect to what each should do, and
yet a strong non-resistant principle was manifest, which
seemed to smooth over any difficulty. There was
some talk about money and the lease of the propert}',
and several persons spoke, both male and female,
apparently just as the spirit moved them. At the
close of the meeting some singing was attempted, but
it was very poor indeed. The folks scattered to the
houses for dinner, and as usual took a pretty good supply
of the potatoes, potato-soup, brown bread, apples and
apple butter, together with large quantities of melons
of various kinds.
" Owing to the cold weather the people were all hud-
dled together inside the houses. The rooms were too
322 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
small, and many of the young men were compelled to
sleep in the mill. Altogether there were too many per-
sons brought together for the scanty accommodations
of the place.
" Monday, August 27. — The wind blew bard, and
threw down a large stack of hay. It was interesting to
see the rapidity with which a group of volunteers put it
in order again. The party seemed to act with perfect
union.
" Several persons arrived to join the Community ;
among the rest a farmer and his family in a large wagon,
with a lot of household stuff
" I watched several men at work in different places,
and to one party I could not help expressing myself
thus : ' If you fail, I will give it up ; for never did I see
men work so well or so brotherly with each other.' But
all were not thus industrious ; for I saw some who
merely crawled about (probably sick), just looking on
like myself, at any thing which fell in their way. There
was evident disorder, showing a transition state toward
either harmony or anarchy. I am sorry to say, it too
soon proved to be the latter.
" After dinner some one suggested having a meeting
to talk about a plow. With some little exertion they
managed to get ten or twelve men together. Then they
sat down and reasoned with each other at great length.
Hut it was very uneconomical, I thought, to bring so
many persons together from their work, to talk so much
about so small a matter. A plow had to be repaired ;
some one must and did volunteer to go to the town with
it ; he wanted money to pay for it ; there was no money ;
he must take a bag of corn or wheat, and trade that off
PRAIRIE HOME. 323
to pay for the repairs ; a wagon had to be got out ; two
horses put to it, and a journey of some miles made, and
nearly a day of time expended about such a trifling job.
" I went to see the saw-mill at work ; found one or
two men engaged at it. They were working for custom-
ers, and got a certain portion of the lumber for what
they sawed. I then went into an old log cabin and
found my acquaintance, the cabinet-maker. On my in-
quiring how he liked Community, he told me the follow-
ing story : He came from London to find friends in
Indiana, and brought with him a fine chest of tools.
On his arrival, he found his friends about to start for
Community ; so he came with them. He brought his
tools with him, but left them at Zanesfield, and came
down here. The folks at Zanesfield, wanting a plane, a
saw and chisels, and knowing that his box was there,
having no key, actually broke open the box, and under
the influence of the common-property idea, helped
themselves to the tools, and spoiled them by using them
on rough work. He had got his chest away from
there. He said he had no objection to their using the
tools, if they knew how and did not spoil them. I saw
one or two large chisels with pieces chipped out of them
and planes nicked by nails, all innocently and ignorantly
done by the brothers, who scarcely saw any wrong in it.
" It was interesting to see the groups of unshaven
men. There were men between forty and fifty years of
age, who had shaved all their lives before, but now they
let their beards grow, and looked ferocious. The young
men looked well, and some of them rather handsome,
with their soft beards and hair uncut ; but the elderly
ones did certainly look ugly. There was a German of
a thin, gaunt figure, about fifty years of age, with a
324 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
large, stubby, gray beard, and an ill-tempered coun-
tenance.
"John Wood, the Englishman, a pretty good specimen,
blunt, open-hearted and independent, had got three pigs
in a pen, which he fed and took care of. They were the
only animals on the place, except the horses. But
exercising his rights, he said, 'If the rest of them did
not want meat, he did — for he liked a bit o'meat.'
" I was informed that all the animals on the place,
when the Community took possession of the domain,
were allowed to go where they pleased ; or those who
wanted them were free to take them.
" Before the meeting on Sunday, groups of men stood
round the house talking; some two or three of them,
including John Wood and the Dutchman (as he was
called) were cleaning themselves up a bit ; and John
had blackened and polished his boots ; after which he
carefully put the blacking and brushes away. Out
came the Dutchman and looked round for the same
utensils. Not seeing them, he asked the Englishman
for the 'prushes.' So John brings them out and hands
them to him. Whereupon the Dutchman marches to ■
the front of the porch, and in wrathful style, with the
brushes uplifted in his hand, he addresses the assembled
crowd : ' He-ar ! lookee he-ar ! Do you call dis Com-
munity.' Is dis common property .'' See he-ar ! I ask
him for de prushes to placken mine poots, and he give
me de prushes, and not give me de placking !' This
was said with great excitement. ' He never saw such
community as dat ; he could not understand ; he tought
every ting was to be common to all ! ' But John Wood
good-humoredly explained that he had bought a box of
blacking for himself, and if he gave it to every one who
PRAIRIE HOME. 325
wanted to black boots, he would very soon be without
any ; so he shut it up for his own use, and those who
wanted blacking must buy it for themselves.
" I noticed there was some carelessness with the farm
tools. There was a small shed in which all the scythes,
hoes, axes, &c., were supposed to be deposited when not
in use. But they were not always returned there. It
appeared that these tools were used indiscriminately by
any one and every one, so that one day a man would
have one ax or scythe, and the next day another. This
was evidently not agreeable in practice ; for every
working-man well knows that he forms attachments for
certain tools, as much as he does for friends, and his
hand and heart get used to them, as it were, so that he
can use them better than he can strange ones
" With these few notices of failings, I must say I never
saw a better-hearted or more industrious set of fellows.
They appeared to struggle hard to effect something, yet
it seemed evident that something was lacking among
them to make things work well. It might have been
organized laws, or government of some kind ; it might
have been a definite bond of union, or a prominent
leader. It is certain there was some power or influence
needed, to direct the force mustered there, and make it
work economically and harmoniously.
" People kept coming and going, and were ready to do
something ; but there was nobody to tell them what to
do, and they did not know what to do themselves. They
had to eat, drink and sleep ; and they expected to obtain
the means of doing so ; but they seemed not to reflect
who was going to supply these means, or where they
were to come from Some seemed greedy and reckless,
eating all the time, cutting melons out of the garden and
326 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
from among the corn, eating them and throwing the
peels and seeds about the foot-paths and door-ways.
" There was an abundance of fine corn on the domain,
abundance of melons of all kinds, and, I believe, plenty
of apples at the upper Community. Much provision
had been brought and sent there by farmers who had
entered into the spirit of the cause. For instance there
were some wagon-loads of potatoes and apples sent, as
well as quantities of unbolted wheat meal, of which the
bread was made.
" On my asking about the idlers, the reply was, ' Oh !
they will not stop here long ; it is uncongenial to lazy
people to be among industrious ones ; and for their
living, it do'nt cost much more than fifty cents per week,
and they can surely earn that.'
" At the Sunday meeting before mentioned, the enthu-
siasm of some was great. One man said he left his
home in Indiana ; he had a house there, which he
thought at first to reserve in case of accident ; but he
finally concluded that if he had any thing to fall back
upon, he could not give his heart and soul to the cause
as he wanted to ; so he gave up every thing he pos-
sessed, and put it into Community. Others did the
same, while some had reserved property to fall back
upon. Some said they had lands which they would put
into the Community, if they could get rid of them ; but
the times were so hard that there was much scarcity of
money, and the lands would not sell.
" From all I saw I judged that the Community was
too loosely put together, and that they had not entire
confidence in each other ; and I left them with fore-
bodings.
" The experiment lasted scarcely a year. On the 25th
PRAIRIE HOME. 327
of October, about two months after my visit, they had a
meeting to talk over their affairs. More than three
thousand dollars had been paid on the property ; but the
land owner was pressed with a mortgage, and so pressed
them. One man sold his farm and got part of the re-
quired sum ready to pay. Others who owned farms
could not sell them ; and the consequence was, that
according to agreement they were obliged to give up the
papers ; so they surrendered the domain and all upon it,
into the' hands of the original proprietor.
" The members then scattered in various directions.
Several were considerable losers by the attempt, while
many had nothing to lose. At the present time I learn
that there are men and women of that Community who
are still ready with hands and means to try the good
work again. The cause of failure assigned by the Com-
munists was their not owning the land they settled
upon ; but I think it very doubtful whether they could
have kept together if the land had been free ; for as I
have before said, there was something else wanted to
make harmony in labor."
328 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE TRUMBULL PHALANX.
This experiment originated among the Socialist enthu-
siasts of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania Its domain at
Braceville, Trumbull County, Ohio, was selected and a
commencement was made in the spring of 1844. From
this date till its failure in the latter part of 1 847, we find
in the Phalanx and Harbinger some sixteen notices of
it, long and short, from which we are to gather its
history. We will quote the salient parts of these
notices ; and so let the friends of the experiment speak
for themselves. The rose-color of their representations
will be corrected by the ultimate facts. This was one
of the three most notable experiments in the Fourier
epoch — the North American and the Wisconsin Pha-
lanxes being the other two.
[From a letter of Mr. Jehu Brainerd, June 29, 1844.]
" The location which this society has chosen, is a very
beautiful one and is situated in the north-west quarter of
Braceville township, eight miles west of Warren, and
five miles north of Newton Falls.
" The domain was purchased of Mr. Eli Barnum, at
twelve dollars per acre, and consists of two hundred and
eighty acres of the choicest land, about half of which is
under ffood cultivation. There is a valuable and durable
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 329
mill privilege on the domain, valued at three thousand
six hundred dollars ; and at the time the purchase was
made, there were in successful operation, a grist-mill
with two run of stones, an oil-mill, saw-mill, double
carding-machine, and cloth-dressing works.
" The principal buildings on the domain are a large
two story brick house, grist-mill and oil-mill, very large,
substantial, and entirely new, framed and well painted,
and a large barn ; the other buildings, though sufficient
for present accommodation, are old and somewhat de-
cayed.
" There has been already subscribed in real estate
stock, most of which is within two miles and less of the
domain, nine hundred and fifty-seven acres of land,
mostly improved farms, which were valued (including
neat stock, grain, &c ) at sixteen thousand one hundred
and fifty dollars. Five hundred dollars cash capital has
also been subscribed and paid in ; and about six hundred
dollars in lathes, tools, machinery, &c., including one
hundred thousand feet of lumber, have been received.
" There are thirty-five families now belonging to the
Association, in all one hundred and forty persons ; of
this number forty-three are males over twenty-one years
of age. Until accommodations can be prepared on the
domain, some of the families will reside on the farms
subscribed as stock. It is the intention to commence
an edifice of brick this present summer, and extend it
from time to time, as the increase of members may
require, or the funds of the society admit. For present
necessity, temporary buildings are erected.
[From a letter of N. C. Meeker, August 10, 1844.]
"The number of persons belonging to the Phalanx is
about two hundred ; some reside on the domain proper ;
330 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
others on more distant farms belonging to the Phalanx.
Indeed as regards room, they are much crowded, re-
siding in loose sheds. Nevertheless, on no consideration
would they exchange present conditions for former ones.
More convenient residences are to be erected forthwith,
but it is not contemplated to erect the Phalanstery or
final edifice for a year or so, or until they are possessed
of sufficient means. Then the magnificent palace of
the Combined Order will equally shame the temples of
antiquity and the card-houses of modern days.
" For the present year hard work and few of the
attractions of Association are expected. Almost every-
thing is unfitted for the use of Associations, being too
insignificant, or characteristic of present society ; made
to sell rather than to use. The members of the Trum-
bull Phalanx, knowing how to work truly, and fully un-
derstanding that it is a gigantic labor to overturn the
despair which has been accumulating so long in men's
bosoms, have nerved themselves manfully, showing the
true dignity of human nature.
" Labor is partially organized by the instituting of
groups, and to much advantage. Boys who were idle and
unproductive, have become producers, and a very fine
garden is the work of their hands. They are under the
charge of a proper person, who permits them to choose
their foreman from among themselves, and at certain
hours, in grounds laid out for the purpose, to engage in
sports. Even the men themselves, at the close of the
work, find agreeable and salutary exercise in a game of
ball. Some going to school, earn six or seven shillings
a week, and where they work in the brick-yard, from
three to four shillings a day. These sums are not final
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 33 I
wages, but permits ; for when a dividend is declared
there will be an additional remuneration.
" On the Sabbath I attended their social meeting, in
which those of all persuasions participated. The liberal
views and kindly feelings manifested by the various
speakers were such as I had never heard before. They
spoke of the near relations they sustained to each other,
and of the many blessings they look to receive in the
future ; meanwhile the present unity gave them an idea
of heaven. One spirit of joy and gladness seemed to
animate them, viz ; that they had escaped from the
wants, cares, and tem.ptations of civilization, and instead
were placed where public good is the same as individual
good ; hence nothing save pre-conceived prejudices, fast
giving away, prevent their loving their neighbors as
themselves. This is the spirit of Christianity. Their
position calls for union. No good can arise from divers
sects ; no good ever did arise. They will all unite,
Presbyterians, Disciples, Baptists, Methodists, and all ;
and if any name be needed, under that of Unionism.
After meeting the sacrament was administered ; then
followed a Bible-class, and singing exercises closed the
day. [It would seem from this description, that the
religion of the Trumbull was more orthodox than any
we have found in other Phalanxes.]
" Those not accustomed to view the progress of
combined labor will be astonished to see aggregates.
A vast brick-kiln is raised in a short time ; a touch
plants a field of corn, and a few weeks turns a forest
into a farm. Only a few of such results can be seen
now ; but enough has been done at this Phalanx since
last spring, to give one an idea of the vast results which
will arise in the days of the new industrial world.
332 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Seating myself in the venerable orchard, with the
temporary dwellings on the opposite side, the joiners
at their benches in their open shops under the green
boughs, and hearing on every side the sound of industry,
the roll of wheels in the mills, and merry voices, I could
not help exclaiming mentally: Indeed my eyes see
men making haste to free the slave of all names, nations
and tongues, and my ears hear them driving, thick and
fast, nails into the coffin of despotism. I can but look
on the establishment of this Phalanx as a step of as
much importance as any which secured our political
independence ; and much greater than that which
gained the Magna Charta, the foundation of English
liberty.
" But as yet there is nothing clearly demonstrated save
by faith. That which reniains to be seen is, whether
families can be made to associate in peace, enjoying the
profits as well as pleasures arising from public tables,
granaries, store-houses, libraries, schools, gardens, walks
and fountains ; or, briefer, whether a man will be willing
that he and his neighbor should be happy together.
Are men forever to be such consummate fools as to
neglect even the colossal profits of Association ? Am
I to be astonished by hearing sensible men declare, be-
cause mankind have been the victims of false relations,
that these things are impracticable .'' No, no ! We
have been shown by the Columbus of the new indus-
trial world how to solve the problem of the egg, and a
few caravels have adventured across the unknown
ocean, and are now, at the dawn of a new day, drawing
nigh unto strange shores, covered with green, and
loading the breeze with the fragrance of unseen flowers.
" Nathan C. Meeker."
TRUMBULL PHAL^ANX. 333
[From an official letter to a Convention of Associations in New York,
signed by B. Robins and H. N. Jones, President and Secretary of
the Trumbull Phalanx, dated October i, 1844.]
" We should have sent a delegate to your Convention
or written sooner, were not the assistance of ail of our
members daily demanded, as also all our time, in the
building up of Humanity's Home. In common with the
inhabitants of the region round about (it is supposed on
account of the dry season), we have had many cases of
fever and ague, a disease which has not been known here
for many years. This has prevented our executing
various plans for organization, etc., which we are now
entering upon. And now, with each day, we have
abundant cause to hope for a joyous future. We have
harmony within and sympathy without ; and being per-
suaded that these are sure indications of success, we toil
on, 'heart within and God o'erhead.'
" Further, our pecuniary prospects brighten. Late
arrangements add to our means of paying our debt,
which is light ; and accumulations of landed estate make
us quite secure. Nevertheless we feel that we ai e in the
transition period, using varied and noble elements not
the most skillfully, and that we need more than man's
wisdom to guide us.
" The union of the Associations we look upon as a
great and noble idea, without which the chain of univer-
sal unity were incomplete. When we shall have emerged
from the sea of civilization, so that we can do our own
breathing, we shall be able to cooperate with our friends
throughout the world, as members of the grand Phalanx.
Meanwhile our hearts will be with you, urging you not
to falter in the work in which all the noble and healthy
spirit of the age is engaged.
334 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" Accompanying is a copy of our constitution. Our
number is ov^er two hundred. We have 1,500 acres of
land, half under cultivation, and a capital stock of
$100,000. The branches of industry are sufficiently
varied, but mostly agricultural.
[Letter to the Pittsburg Spirit of the Age, July 1.S45.]
" I have just returned from a visit to the Trumbull
Phalanx, and I can but express my astonishment at the
condition in which I found the Association. I had never
heard much of this Phalanx, and what little had been
said, gave me no very favorable opinion of either loca-
tion or people, and in consequence I went there some-
what prejudiced against them. I was pleased, however,
to find that they have a beautiful and romantic domain,
a rich soil, with all the natural and artificial advantages
they can desire. The domain consists of eleven hundred
acres in all. The total cost of the real estate of the
Phalanx is $18,428; on which they have paid $8,239,
leaving a debt of $ 10,189. The payments are remarka-
bly easy ; on the principal, $ i ,000 are to be paid in
September next, and the same sum in April 1846, and
$ 1,133 i'^ April 1847, ^^^ the same sum annually there-
after. They apprehend no difficulty in meeting their
engagements. Should they even fail in making the first
payments, they will be indulged by their creditor. F"rom
this it will be seen that the pecuniary condition of the
Trumbull Phalanx is encouraging.
" The Phalanx has fee simple titles to many tracts of
land, and a house in Warren, with which they will secure
capitalists who choose to invest money, for the purpose
of establishing some branches of manufacturing
" There are about two hundred and fifty people on
the domain at present, and weekly arrivals of new mem-
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 335
bers. The greater portion of them are able-bodied men,
who are industrious and' devoted to the cause in which
they are engaged. The ladies perform their duties in
this pioneer movement in a manner deserving great praise.
The educational department of the Phalanx is well organ-
ized. The children from eight to fourteen attend a
manual-labor school, which is now in successful opera-
tion. The advantages of Association are realized in the
boarding department. The cost per week for men,
women and children, is not more than forty cents.
" They soon expect to manufacture their own clothing.
Carders, cloth-dressers, weavers etc., are now at work.
These branches will be a source of profit to the Asso-
ciation. A good flouring-mill with two run of stone is
now in operation, which more than supplies the bread-
stuffs. They expect shortly to have four run of stone,
when this branch will be of immense profit to the Asso-
ciation. The mill draws the custom of the neighborhood
for a number of rniles around. Two saw-mills are now in
operation, which cut six hundred thousand feet per year,
worth at least $ 3,000. The lumber is principally sent to
Akron. A shingle-machine now in operation, will yield
a revenue of $3,000 or $4,000 per annum. Machinery
for making wooden bowls has been erected, which will
also yield a revenue of about $3,000. An ashery will
yield the present season about $ 500. The blacksmiths,
shoemakers, and other branches are doing well. A
wagon-shop is in progress of erection, and a tan-yard will
be sunk and a house built, the second story of which is
intended for a shoe-shop.
"Crops: thirty acres of wheat, fifty acres of oats,
seventy acres of corn, twelve acres of potatoes, five
acres of English turnips, ten acres of buckwheat, five
336 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
acres of garden truck, one and a-half acres of broom
corn. There are five hundred young peach trees in the
nursery ; two hundred apple trees in the old orchard ;
(fruit killed this year). Live Stock: forty-five cows,
twelve horses, five yoke of oxen, twenty-five head of
cattle.
" From the above hasty sketch (for I can not find time
to speak of this flourishing Association as I should), it
will be seen that it stands firm. Under all the disad-
vantages of a new movement, the members live together,
in perfect harmony ; and what is gratifying, Mr. Van
Amringe is there, cheering them on in the great cause
by his eloquence, and setting them an example of devo-
tion to the good of humanity. j. d. t.
[Editorial in the Harhi)ti^c7- August 23 1845.]
" Trumbull Phalanx. — We rejoice to learn by a
letter just received from a member of this promisiYig
Association, that they are going forward with strength
and hope, determined to make a full experiment of the
great principles which they have espoused. Have
patience, brothers, for a short season ; shrink not under
the toils of the pioneer ; let nothing daunt your courage,
nor cloud your cheerfulness ; and soon you will joy with
the 'joy of harvest.' A few years will present the
beautiful spectacle of prosperous, harmonic, happy
Phalanxes, dotting the broad prairies of the West,
spreading over its luxuriant valleys, and radiating light
to the whole land that is now in ' darkness and the
shadow of death ' The whole American people will yet
see that the organization of industry is the great prob-
lem of the age ; that the spirit of democracy must
expand in universal unity ; that cooperation in labor and
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 337
union of interest alone can realize the freedom and
equality which have been made the basis of our
national institutions.
" We trust that our friends at the Trumbull Phalanx
will let us hear from them again at an early date. We
shall always be glad to circulate any intelligence with
which they may favor us. Here is what they say of
their present condition: 'Our crops are now coming
in ; oats are excellent, wheat and rye are about average,
while our corn will be superior. We are thankful that
we shall raise enough to carry us through the year ; for
we know what it is to buy every thing. We are certain
of success, certain that the great principles of Associa-
tion are to be carried out by us ; if not on one piece of
ground, then on another. Literally we constitute a
Phalanx, a Phalanx which can not be broken, let what
'will oppose. And this you are authorized to say in any
place or manner.' "
[Letter of \. C. Meeker to the Pitlsburg Journal.^
" Trumbull Phala7ix, September 13, 1845.
" R. M. Riddle — Sir: I have the pleasure of inform-
ing the public, through the columns of the Commercial
J-ournal, that we consider the success of our Association
as entirely certain. We have made our fall payment
of five hundred dollars, and, what is perhaps more
encouraging, we are at this moment engaged in indus-
trial operations which yield us thirty dollars cash, each
week. The waters are now rising, and in a few days, in
addition to the^e works which are now in operation, we
shall add as much more to the above revenue. The
Trumbull Phalanx may now be considered as an entirely
successful enterprise.
" Our crops will be enough to carry us through. Last
338 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
year we paid over a thousand dollars for provisions. We
have sixty-five acres of corn, fifty-five of oats, twenty-
four of buckwheat, thirty of wheat, twenty of rye, twelve
of potatoes, and two of broom-corn. Our corn, owing
to the excellent soil and superior skill of the foreman of
the farming department, is the best in all this region of
country. Thus we have already one of the great advan-
tages of Association, in securing the services of the most
able and scientific, not for individual, selfish good, but
for public good. We are fortunate, also, that we shall
be able to keep all our stock of fifty cows, etc., and not
be obliged to drive them oft" or kill them, as the farmers
do around us, for we have nearly fodder enough from our
grains alone. Thus we are placed in a situation for
building up an Association, for establishing a perfect
organization of industry by means of the groups and
series, and in education by the monitorial manual-labor
system, and shall demonstrate that order, and not civili-
zation, is heaven's first law.
" Some eight or ten families have lately left us, one-
fourth because they had been in the habit of living on
better food (so they said), but the remainder because they
were averse to our carrying out the principles of Asso-
ciation as far as we thought they ought to be carried.
On leaving, they received in return whatever they
asked of us. They who enter Association ought first to
study themselves, and learn which stage of Association
they are fitted for, the transitional or the perfect. If
they are willing to endure privations, to eat coarse food,
.sometimes with no meat, but with milk for a substitute
(this is a glorious resort for the Grahamites), to live on
friendly terms with an old hat or coat, rather than have
the society run in debt, and to have patience when
TRUMRULL PHALANX. 339
many things go wrong, and are willing to work long and
late to make them go right, they may consider them-
selves fitted for the transition-period. But if they sigh
for the flesh-pots and leeks and onions of civilization,
feel melancholy with a patch on their back, and growl
because they can not have eggs and honey and warm
biscuit and butter for breakfast, they had better stay
where they are, and wait for the advent of perfect
industrial Association. I am thus trifling in contrast ;
for there is nothing so serious, hearty, and I might add,
sublime, as the building up of a Phalanx, making and
seeing it grow day by day, and anticipating what fruits
we shall enjoy when a few years are past. Why, the
heart of man has never yet conceived what are the
to-be results of the equilibrial development of all the
powers and faculties of man. It is like endeavoring to
comprehend the nature and pursuits of a spiritual and
superior race of beings.
" We are prepared to receive members who are de-
sirous of uniting their interests with us, and of becoming
truly devoted to the cause of industrial Association.
" Yours truly, N. C. Meeker."
[From a letter to the Trihnii", September 29, 1846.]
" The progress made by the Trumbull Phalanx is
doing great good. People begin to say, ' If they could
hang together under such bad circumstances for so long
a time, and no difficulties occur, what must we hope for,
now that they are pecuniarily independent ? ' You have
heard, I presume, that the Pittsburghers have furnished
money enough to place that Association out of debt. I
may be over-sanguine, but I feel confident of their com-
plete success. I fear our Eastern friends have not
sufficient faith in our efforts. Well, I trust we may dis-
340 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
appoint them. The Trumbull, so far as, means amount
to any thing, stands first of any Phalanx in the United
States ; and as to harmony among the members, I can
only say that there has been no difficulty yet.
"Yours truly, j. d. s."
[From the Harbiiiger, January 2, 1847. J
"We have received the following gratifying account
of the Trumbull Phalanx. Every attempt of the kind
here described, though not to be regarded as an experi-
ment of a model Phalanx, is in the highest degree
interesting, as showing the advantages of combined
industry and social union. Go forward, strong-hearted
brothers, assured that every step you take is bringing us
nearer the wished-for goal, when the redemption of
humanity shall be fully realized. This is what they say :
"' We are getting along well. Our Pittsburg friends
have lately sent us two thousand dollars, and are to send
more during the winter. We are also addin:^ to our
numbers. We have an abundance to eat of our own
raising ; but aside from this, our mill brings sufficient
for our support. We have put up a power-loom at our
upper works, and are about prepared to produce thereby
sufficient to clothe us. Hence, by uniting capital,
labor and skill in two mechanical branches, we secure,
with ordinary industry, what no equal number of families
in civilization can be said to possess entirely, a sufficient
amount of food and clothing. And these are items
which practical men know how to value ; and we know
how to value them too, because they are the results of
our own efforts.
" ' We have two schools, one belonging to the district,
that is, a State or public school, and the other to the
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 34I
Phalanx, both taught by persons who are members. In
the latter school, among other improvements, there are
classes in Phonography and Phonotopy, learning the
new systems embraced by the writing and printing
reformation, the progress of which is highly satisfactory.
"'On the whole, we feel that our success is ensured
beyond an earthly doubt. Not but that we have yet to
pass through trying scenes. Hut we have encountered
so many difficulties that we are not apprehensive but
that we are prepared to meet others equally as great.
Indeed we feel that if we had known at the commence-
ment what fiery trials were to surround us, we should
have hesitated to enter upon the enterprise. Now,
being fairly in, we will brave it through, and we think
you may look to see us grow with each year, adding
knowledge to wealth, and industrious habits to religious
precepts and elevated sentiments, till we shall be pre-
pared to enter upon the combined order, and, with our
co-partners, who arc now breast and heart with us, lead
the kingdoms of the earth mto the regions of light, lib-
erty and love.' "
[From the Pittsburg Post, January 1847.]
"Trumbull Phalanx. — Several Pittsburgers have
joined the above-named Association : and a sufficient
amount of money has been contributed to place it upon
a solid foundation. It is pecuniarily independent, as we
are informed ; and the members are full of faith in com-
plete success. Several letters have been received by
persons in this city from resident members of the
Phalanx. We should like to have one of them for publi-
cation, to show the feelings which pervade those who are
working out the problem of social unity. They write in
342 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
substance, ' The Association is prosperous, and we are
all happy.'
" The Trumbull Phalanx is now in its third or fourth
year, and so far has met with but few of the difficulties
anticipated by the friends or enemies of the cause. The
progress has been slow, it is true, owing to a variety of
causes, the principal one of which has been removed,
viz.: debt. Much sickness existed on the domain dur-
ing the last season, but no fears are felt for the future,
as to the general health of the neighborhood.
[From a letter (if C. Woodhouse, July 3, 1847.]
" This Phalanx has been in existence nearly four
years, and has encountered many difficulties and sub-
mitted to many privations. Difficulties still exist and
piivations are not now few or small ; but so great is
the change for the better in less than four years, that
they are fully impressed with the promise of success.
At no time, indeed, have they met with as many difficul-
ties as the lonely settler in a new country meets with ;
for in all their poverty they have been in pleasant com-
pany and have aided o)ie another. They are now
surrounded by all the necessaries and some of the com-
forts of life. Each family has a convenient dwelling,
and so far as I can judge from a short visit, they enjoy
the good of their labor, with no one to molest or make
them afraid. Several branches of mechanical industry
are carried on there, but agriculture is the staff on which
they principally lean. Their land is very good, and of
their thousand acres, over three hundred are improved.
Their stock — horses, cattle and cows — look very well,
as the farmers say. The improvements and condition
of the domain bespeak thrift, industry and practical
skill. The TrumbuUites are workers. I saw no dainty-
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 343
fingered theorists there. When such do come, I am
informed, they do not stay long. Work is the order of
the day. They would be glad of more leisure ; but at
this stage of the enterprise they put forth all their
powers to redeem themselves from debt, and make such
improvements as will conduce to this end and at the
same time add to their comforts. Not a cent is ex-
pended in display or for knicknacks. The President
lives in a log house and drives team on the business of
the Association. Whatever politicians may say to the
contrary, I think he is the only veritable ' log-cabin
President' the whole land can show."
[From a letter of the Women of the Trumbull Phalanx to the Women
of the Boston Union of Associationists, July 15, 1847.]
"It is plain that our efforts must be different from
yours. Yours is the part to arouse the idle and indiffer-
ent by your conversation, and by contributing funds to
sustain and aid publications. Ours is the part to
organize ourselves in all the affairs of life, in the best
manner that our imperfect institution will permit ; and,
not least, to- have faith in our own efforts. In this last
particular we are sometimes deficient, for it is impossible
for us with our imperfect and limited capacities, clearly
and fully to foresee what faith and confidence in God's
providence can accomplish. We have been brought
hither through doubts and dangers, and through the
shadows of the future we have no guide save where
duty points the way.
" Our trials lie in the commonest walks. To forego
conveniences, to live poorly, dress homely, to listen
calmly, reply mildly, and wait patiently, are what we
must become familiar with. True, these are require-
ments by no means uncommon ; but imperfect beings
344 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
like ourselves are apt to imagine that they alone are
called upon to endure. Yet, perhaps, we enjoy no less
than the most of our sex ; nay, we are in truth, sisters
the world round ; if one suffers, all suffer, no matter
whether she tends her husband's dogs amidst the Polar
snows, or mounts her consort's funeral pile upon the
banks of the Ganges. Together we weep, together we
rejoice. We rise, we fall together.
" It would afford us much pleasure could we be associ-
ated together. Could all the women fitted to engage in
Social Reform be located on one ilomain, one can not
imagine the immense changes that would ensue. We
pray that we, or at least our children, may live to see the
day when kindred souls shall be permitted to cooperate
in a sphere sufficiently extensive to call forth all our
powers."
(From a letter of N. C. Meeker, Auj^u.st ii, 1847.)
"Our progress and prosperity are still continued. By
this we only mean that whatever we secure is by
overcoming many difficulties. Our triumphs, humble
though they be, are achieved in the same manner that
the poet or the sculptor or the chemist achieves his, by
labor, by application ; and we believe that to produce the
most useful and beautiful things, the most labor and
pains are necessary.
"Our present difficulties are. first, want of a sufficient
number to enable us to establish independent groups, as
Fourier has laid down. The present arrangement is as
though we were all in one group ; what is earned by the
body is divided among individuals according to the
amount of labor expended by each. Were our branches
of business fewer (for we carry on almost every branch
of industry necessary to support us) we could organize
TRUMBULL PHALAiNX. 345
with less danger of interruption, which at present must
be incessant ; yet, at the same time there would be less
choice of employment. Our number is about two
hundred and fifty, and that of laboring men not far from
fifty. This want of a greater number is by no means a
serious difficulty ; still, one we wish were corrected by
an addition of scientific and industrious men, with some
capital.
" Again, when the season is wet, we have the fever
and ague among us to some extent, though previous to
our locating here the place was healthy. Whether it
will be healthy in future we of course can not determine,
but see no reason why it may not. The ague is by no
means dangerous, but it is quite disagreeable, and during
its continuance, is quite discouraging. Upon the
approach of cold weather it disappears, and we recover,
feeling as strong and hopeful as ever. Other diseases
do not visit us, and the mortality of the place is low,
averaging, thus far, almost four years, less than two
annually, and these were children. We are convinced,
however, that all cause of the ague may be removed by
a little outlay, which of course we shall make.
" These are our chief incumbrances at present ; others
have existed equally discouraging, and have been sur-
mounted. The time was when our very existence for
a period longer than a few months, was exceedingly
doubtful. Two or three heavy payments remained due,
and our creditor was pressing. Now we shall not owe
him a cent till next April. By the assistance of our
Pittsburg friends and Mr. Van Amringe, we have been
put in this situation. About half of our debt of about
$ 7,000 is paid. All honor to Englishmen (William Bayle
346 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
in particular), who have thus set an example to the 'sons
of ' 76.'
[From a report of a Socialist Convention at Boston, October 1847.]
" The condition and prospects of the experiments now
in progress in this country, especially the North Ameri-
can, Trumbull and Wisconsin Phalanxes, were discussed.
Mr. Cooke has lately visited all these Associations, and
brings back a large amount of interesting information.
The situation of the North American is decidedly hope-
ful ; as to the other two, his impressions were of a less
sanguine tone than letters which have been recently
published in the Harbinger and Tribune. Yet it is not
time to despair."
The reader will hardly be prepared for the next news
we have about the Trumbull ; but we have seen before
that Associations are apt to take sudden turns.
[lyCtter to the Hdrbiiifier announcing failure.]
" Braceville, Ohio, December -i,, 1847.
To the Editors of the Harbinger,
" Gentlemen : You and your readers have no doubt
heard before this of the dissolution of this Association,
and the report is but too true ; we have fallen. But we
wish civilization to know that in our fall we have not
broken our necks. We have indeed caught a few pretty
bad scratches ; but all our limbs are yet sound, and we
riiean to pick ourselves up again. We will try and try
again. The infant has to fall several times before he
can walk ; but that does not discourage him, and he
succeeds ; nor shall we be so easily discouraged.
" Some errors, not intentional though fatal, have been
committed here ; we see them now, and will endeavor to
avoid them. I believe that it may be said of us with
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 347
truth, that our failure is a triumph. Our fervent love
for Association is not quenched ; we are not dispersed ;
we are not discouraged ; we are not even scared. We
know our own position. What we have done we have
done deliberately and intentionally, and we think we
know also what we have to do. There are, however,
difficulties in our way : we are aware of them. We
may not succeed in reorganizing here as we wish to do ;
but if we fail, we will try elsewhere. There is yet room
in this western world. We will first offer ourselves, our
experience, our energies, and whatever means are left
us, to our sister Associations. We think we are worth
accepting ; but if they have the inhumanity to refuse,
we will try to build a new hive somewhere else, in the
woods or on the prairies. God will not drive us from his
own earth. He has lent it to all men ; and we are men,
and men of good intentions, of no sinister motives.
Our rights are as good in his eyes as those of our
brothers.
" We do not deem it necessary here to give a detailed
account of our affairs and circumstances. It will be
sufficient to say that, however unfavorable they may be
at present, we do not consider our position as desperate.
We think we know the remedy ; and we intend to use
our best exertions to effect a cure. It may be proper
also to state that we have not in any manner infringed
our charter.
" I do not write in an official capacity, but I am
authorized to say, gentlemen, that if you can con-
veniently, and will, as soon as practicable, give this
communication an insertion in the Harbinger, you will
serve the cause, and oblige your brothers of the late
Trumbull Phalanx. g. m. m,"
34^ AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
After this decease, an attempt was made to resusci-
tate the Association ; as will be seen in the following
paragraphs :
[Fu;m a letter in the J/nrliiiii^^ir, May 27, 1848.]
" With improvident philanthropy, the Phalanx had
admitted too indiscriminately ; so that the society was
rather an asylum for the needy, sick and disabled, than
a nucleus of efficient members, carrying out with all
their powers and energies, a system on which they
honestly rely for restoring their race to elevation and
happiness. They also had accepted unprofitable capital,
producing absolutely nothing, upon which they were
paying interest upon interest. All this weighed most
heavily on the efficient members. They made up their
minds to break up altogether.
" A new society has been organized, which has bought
at auction, and very low, the domain with all its im-
provements. We, the new society, purpose to work on
the following foundation : Our object is to try the
system of Fourier, so far as it is in our power, with our
limited means, etc."
[From a letter in the Harbinger, July 15, 1848.]
" With respect to our little society here, we wish at
present to say only that it is going on with alacrity and
great hopes of success. We are prepared for a few
additional members with the requisite qualifications ;
but we do not think it expedient to do or say much to
induce any body to come on until we see how we shall
fare through what is called the sickly season. To the
present date, however, we may sum up our condition in
these three words : We are healthy, busy and happy."
This is the last we find about the new organization.
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 349
So we conclude it soon passed away. As it is best to
hear all sides, we will conclude this account with some
extracts from a grumbling letter, which we find among
Macdonald's manuscripts.
[Account by a Malcontent.]
" A great portion of the land was swampy, so much
so that it could not be cultivated. It laid low, and had
a creek running through it, which at times overflowed,
and caused a great deal of sickness to the inhabitants of
the place. The disease was mostly fever and ague ; and
this was so bad, that three-fourths of the people, both
old and young, were shaking with it for months together.
Through the public prints, persons favorable to the
Association were invited to join, which had the eftect of
drawing many of the usual mixed characters from vari-
ous parts of the country. Some came with the idea that
they could live in idleness at the expense of the pur-
chasers of the estate, and these ideas they practically
carried out ; whilst others came with good hearts for the
cause. There were one or two designing persons, who
came with no other intent than to push themselves into
situations in which they could impose upon their fellow
members ; and this, to a certain extent, they succeeded
in doing.
" When the people first assembled, there was not
sufficient house room to accommodate them, and they
were huddled together like brutes ; but they built some
log cabins, and then tried to establish some kind of
order, by rules and regulations. One of their laws was,
that all persons before becoming members must pay
twenty-five dollars each. Some did pay this, but the
majority had not the money to pay. I think most
350 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
persons came there for a mere shift. Their, poverty and
their quarrelling about what they called religion (for
there were many notions about which was the right way
to heaven), were great drawbacks to success Nearly
all the business was carried on by barter, there was so
little money. Labor was counted by the hour, and was
booked to each individual. Rooking was about all the
pay they ever got. At the breaking up, some of the
members had due to them for labor and stock, five or
six hundred dollars ; and some of them did not receive
as many cents.
" To give an idea of the state of things, I may
mention that there was a shrewd Yankee there, who
established a boarding-house and pretended to accom-
modate boarders at very reasonable charges. He was
poor, but he made many shifts to get something for his
boarders to eat, though it was but very little. There
was seldom any butter, cheese, or animal food upon the
table, and what he called coffee was made of burnt
bread. He had no bedding for the boarders ; they had
to provide it for themselves if they could ; if not, they
had to sleep on the floor. For this board he charged
$1.62 per week, while it was jjroved that the cost
per week for each individual was not more than twenty
cents. This man professed to be a doctor, (though I
believe he really knew no more of medicine than any
other person there) ; and as there were so many persons
sick with the ague, he got plenty of work. Previous to
the breaking up, he brought in his bills to the patients
(whom he had never benefited), charging them from ten
to thirty dollars each, and some even higher. But the
people being very poor, he did not succeed in recovering
much of what he called his 'just dues;' though by
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 351
threats of the law he scared some of them out of a
trifle. There was another keen fellow, a preacher and
lawyer, who got into office as secretary and treasurer,
and kept the accounts. When there was any money he
had the management of it ; and I believe he knew
perfectly well how to use it for his own advantage,
which many of the members felt to their sorrow. The
property was supposed to have been held by stock-
holders. Those who had the management of things
know best how it was finally disposed of For my part
I think this was the most unsatisfactory experiment
attempted in the West.
"j. M., member of the Trumbull Phalanx."
What a story of passion and suffering can be traced in
this broken material ! Study it. Think of the great
hope at the beginning ; the heroism of the long struggle ;
the bitterness of the end. This human group was made
up of husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers
and sisters, friends and lovers, and had two hundred
hearts, longing for blessedness. Plodding on their weary
march of life, Association rises before them like the
mirage of the desert. They see in the vague distance,
magnificent palaces, green fields, golden harvests, spark-
ling fountains, abundance of rest and romance ; in one
word, HOME — which also is heaven. They rush like the
thirsty caravan to realize their vision. And now the
scene changes. Instead of reaching palaces, they find
themselves huddled together in loose sheds — thirty-five
families trying to live in dwellings built for one. They
left the world to escape from want and care and tempta-
tion ; and behold, these hungry wolves follow them in
fiercer packs than ever. The gloom of debt is over
them from the beginning. Again and again they are on
352 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the brink of bankruptcy. It is a constant question
and doubt whether they will "succeed," which means,
whether they will barely keep soul and body together,
and pacify their creditors. But they cheer one another
on. "They must succeed; they will succeed; they are
already succeeding!" These words they say over and
over to themselves, and shout them to the public. Still
debt hangs over them. They get a subsidy from outside
friends. But the deficit increases. Meanwhile disease
persecutes them. All through the sultry months which
should have been their working time, they lie idle in
their loose sheds, w where they can find a place, sweat-
ing and shivering in misery and despair. Human
parasites gather about them, like vultures scenting
prey from afar. Their own passions torment them.
They are cursed with suspicion and the evil eye.
They quarrel about religion. They quarrel about their
food. They dispute about carrying out their principles.
Eight or ten families desert. The rest worry on through
the long vears. Foes watch them with cruel exultation.
Friends shout to them, " Hold on a little longer ! "
They hold on just as long as they can, insisting that
they are successful, or are just going to be, till the last.
Then comes the "break up;" and who can tell the ago-
nies of that great corporate death !
If the reader is willing to peer into the darkest depths
of this suffering, let him read again and consider well
that suppressed wail of the women where they speak of
the "polar snows" and the "funeral pile;" and let him
think of all that is meant when the men say, "If we had
known at the commencement what fiery trials were to
surround us, we should have hesitated to enter on the
enterprise. But now being fairly in, we luill brave it
TRUMBULL PHALANX. 353
through !" See how pathetically these soldiers of des-
pair, with defeat in full view, offer themselves to other
Associations, and take comfort in the assurance that
God will not drive them from the earth ! See how the
heroes of the " forlorn hope," after defeat has come, turn
again and reorganize, refusing to surrender ! The end
came at last, but left no record.
This is not comedy, but direst tragedy. God forbid
that we should ridicule it, or think of it with any feeling
but saddest sympathy. We ourselves are thoroughly
acquainted with these heights and depths. These men
and women seem to us like brothers and sisters. We
could easily weep with them and for them, if it would do
any good. But the better way is to learn what such
sufferings teach, and hasten to find and show the true
path, which these pilgrims missed ; that so their illusions
may not be repeated forever.
354 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE OHIO PHALANX.
This Association, originally called the American Pha-
lanx, commenced with a very ambitious programme and
flattering prospects ; but it did not last so long as many
of its contemporaries. It belonged to the Pittsburg group
of experiments. The founder of it was E. P. Grant.
Mr. Van Amringe was one of its leaders, whom we
saw busy at the Trumbull. The first announcement
of it we find in the third number of the Phalanx, as
follows :
[From the Phalanx, December 5, 1843.]
" Grand Movement in the West. — The friends of
Association in Ohio and other portions of the West, have
undertaken the organization of a Phalanx upon quite
an extended scale. They have secured a magnificent
tract of land on the Ohio, have framed a constitu-
tion, and taken preliminary steps to make an early
commencement.
The projectors say: "We feel pleasure in announcing
that the American Phalanx has contracted for about
two thousand acres of land in Belmont County, Ohio,
known as the Pultney farm, lying along the Ohio river,
seven or eight miles below Wheeling ; and that sufficient
means are already pledged to remove all doubts as to
OHIO PHALANX. 355
the formation of an Association, as soon as the domain
can be prepared for the reception of the members. The
land has been purchased of Col. J. S. Shriver, of
Wheeling, Virginia, at thirty dollars per acre, payable at
the pleasure of the Association, in sums not less than
$ 5,000. The payment of six per cent, interest semi-
annually, is secured by a lien on the land.
" The tract selected is two and a-half miles in length
from north to south, and of somewhat irregular breadth,
by reason of the curvatures of the Ohio river, which
forms its eastern boundary. It contains six hundred
acres of bottom land, all cleared and under cultivation ;
the residue is hill land of a fertility truly surprising and
indeed incredible to persons unacquainted with the hills
of that particular neighborhood. Of the hill lands, about
two hundred and fifty acres are cleared, and about three
hundred acres more have been partially cleared, so as to
answer imperfectly for sheep pasture. The residue is
for the most part well-timbered.
" There are upon the premises two frame dwelling-
houses, and ten log houses, mostly with shingle roofs ;
none of them, however, are of much value, except for
temporary purposes.
" The domain is singularly beautiful, as well as fertile ;
and when it is considered, in connection with the advan-
tages already enumerated, that it is situated on one of
the greatest thoroughfares in the world, the charming
Ohio, along which from six to ten steamboats pass every
day for eight or nine months in the year ; that it is
immediately accessible to several large markets, and a
multitude of small ones ; and that it is within seven
miles of that great public improvement, the National
Road, leading through the heart of the Western States,
356 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
we think we are authorized to affirm that the broad
territory of our country furnishes but few localities more
favorable for an experiment in Association, than that
which has been secured by the American Phalanx.
" From eighty to one hundred laborers are expected
to be upon the ground early in the spring, and it is
hoped that in the fall a magnificent edifice or Phalan-
stery, on Fourier's plan, will be commenced, and will
progress rapidly, until it shall be of sufficient extent to
accommodate one hundred families.
" Our object can not be more intelligibly explained
than by stating that it is proposed to organize an in-
dustrial army, which, instead of ravaging and desolating
the earth, like the armies of civilization, shall clothe it
luxuriantly and beautifully with supplies for human
wants ; to distribute this army into platoons, companies,
battalions, regiments, in which promotion and rewards
shall depend, not upon success in spreading ruin and
woe, but upon energy and efficiency in diffusing comfort
and happiness ; in short, to invest labor the creator,
with the dignity which has so long impiously crowned
labor the destroyer and the murderer, so that men shall
vie with each other, not in devastation and carnage, but
in usefulness to the race."
Applicants for admission or stock were referred to
E. P. Grant, A. Brisbane, H. Greeley and others.
[From the Phalanx, February 5, 1844.]
" E. P. Grant, Esq,, of Canton, Ohio, a gentleman of
high standing, superior talents, and indefatigable energy,
who is at the head of the movement to establish the
American Phalanx, which is to be located on the banks
of the beautiful Ohio, informs us by letter, that 'the
OHIO PHALANX. 357
prospect is truly cheering : even that greatest of wants,
capital, is likely to be abundantly supplied. There will
indeed be some deficiency during the ensuing spring
and summer; but the amount already pledged to be paid
by the end of the first year, is not, I think, less than
$40,000, and by the end of the second year, probably not
less than $100,000; and these amounts, from present
appearances, can be almost indefinitely increased.
Besides, the proposed associates are devoted and de-
termined, resenting the intimation of possible failure, as
a reflection unworthy of their zeal.'"
[From the Phalanx, March i, 1844.]
"The Ohio Phalanx (heretofore called the American),
is now definitely constituted, and the first pioneers are
already upon the domain. More will follow in a few
days to assist in making preliminary preparations. A
larger company will be added in March, and by the end
of May the Phalanx is expected to consist of 1 20 resi-
dent members, of whom the greater part will be adult
males. They will be received from time to time as
rapidly as temporary accommodations can be provided.
The prospects of the Phalanx are cheering beyond the
most sanguine anticipations of its friends.
E. P. Grant.
[From the Phalanx, July 13, 1844.]
" Our friends of the Ohio Phalanx appear to have
celebrated the Fourth of July with much hilarity and
enthusiasm. About ten o'clock the mxembers of the
Association with their guests, were seated beneath the
shade of spreading trees, near the dwelling ; when Mr.
Grant, the President, announced briefly the object of
the assemblage and the order to be observed, which
358 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
was, first, prayer by Dr. Rawson, then an address by
Mr. Van Amringe, in which the present condition of
society, its inevitable tendencies and results, were con-
trasted with the social system as delineated by Fourier.
It is not doing full justice to the orator to say merely
that his address was interesting and able. It was lucid,
cogent, religious and highly impressive. This portion
of the festival was closed by prayer and benediction by
Rev. J. P. Stewart, and adjournment for dinner. After
a good and plentiful repast, the social party resumed
their seats for the purpose of hearing (rather than drink-
ing) toasts and whatsoever might be said thereupon."
The topics of the regular toasts were, The day we
celebrate ; The memory of Fourier ; The Associationists
of Pittsburg ; and so on through a long string. The
volunteer toasters liberally complimented each other and
the socialistic leaders generally, not forgetting Horace
Greeley. Somebody in the name of the Phalanx gave
the following:
" The Bible, the book of languages, the book of ideas,
the book of life. May its pages be the delight of Asso-
ciationists, and its precepts practiced by the whole
world."
Our next quotation hints that something like a disso-
lution and reorganization had taken place.
[From the Phnhin.v, May 3, 1845.]
" We notice in a recent number of the Pittsburg
Chronicle, an article from the pen of James D. Thorn-
burg, on the present condition of the Ohio Phalanx, from
which it appears that the report of its failure which has
gone the rounds of the papers, is premature ; and that
although it has suffered embarrassment and difficulties
OHIO PHALANX. 359
from various causes, it is still in operation under new
arrangements that authorize the hope of its ultimate suc-
cess. We know nothing of the internal obstacles of
which Mr. Thornburg speaks, and have no means of
forming an opinion on the merits of the questions
which, it would seem, have given rise to divided coun-
sels and inefficient action. For the founder of the Ohio
Phalanx, E. P. Grant, we cherish the most unqualified
respect, believing him to be fitted as few men are, by
his talents, energy and scientific knowledge, for the
station of leader of the great enterprise, which de-
mands no less courage and practical vigor, than wisdom
and magnanimity.
" We learn from Mr. Thornburg's statement that to
those who chose to leave the Phalanx, it was proposed
to give thirty-three per cent, on their investments, which
is all they could be entitled to, in case of a forfeiture of
the title to the domain, in which case all the improve-
ments, buildings, crops in ground, etc., would be a total
loss to the members. But there is no depreciation in
the stock, when these improvements are estimated. The
rent has been reduced to one-half the former amount.
The proprietor is expected to furnish a large number of
sheep, the profits of which, it is believed, will be nearly
or quite sufficient to pay the rent. At the end of two
years, $30,000 in bonds, mortgages, etc., is to be raised,
for which the Phalanx will receive a fee-smiple title to
the domain. A large share of the balance will be in-
vested in stock, and whatever may remain will be appor-
tioned in payments at two and a-half per cent, interest,
and fixed at a date so remote that no difficulty will
result. There are buildings on the domain sufficient for
the accommodation of forty families, in addition to a
360 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
number of rooms suitable for single persons. The
movable property on the domain is at present worth
three thousand dollars.
" In view of all the facts in the case, as set forth by
Mr. Thornburg, we see no reason to dissent from the
conclusion which he unhesitatingly expresses, that the
future success of the Phalan.x is certain. We trust that
we have not been inspired with too flattering hopes by
the earnestness of our wishes. For we acknowledge
that we have always regarded the magnificent material
resources of this Phalanx with the brightest anticipa-
tions ; we have looked to it with confiding trust, for the
commencement of a model Association ; and we can not
now permit ourselves to believe that any disastrous cir-
cumstance will prevent the realization of the high hopes
which prompted its founders to engage in their glorious
enterprise.
"The causes of difficulty in the Ohio Phalanx, as
stated in the article before us, are as follows : Want of
experience ; too much enthusiasm ; unproductive mem-
bers ; want of means. These causes must always
produce difficulty and discouragement ; and at the same
time, can scarcely be avoided in the commencement of
every attempt at Association.
" The harmonies of the combined order are not to be
arrived at in a day or a year. Even with the noblest
intentions, great mistakes in the beginning are inevi-
table, and many obstacles of a formidable character are
incident to the very nature of the undertaking. A want
of sufficient means must cripple the most strenuous
industry. Ample capital is essential for a complete
organization, for the necessary machinery and fixtures,
for the ordinary conveniences, to say nothing of the
OHIO PHALANX. 361
elegancies of the household order ; and this in the com-
mencement can scarcely ever be obtained. Restriction,
retrenchment, more or less confusion, are the necessary
consequences ; and these in their turn beget a spirit of
impatience and discontent in all but the heroic ; and few
men are heroes. The transition from the compulsory
industry of civilization to the voluntary, but not yet
attractive, industry of Association, is not favorable to
the highest industrial effects. Men who have been
accustomed to shirk labor under the feeling that they
had poor pay for hard work, will not be transformed
suddenly into kings of industry by the atmosphere of a
Phalan.x. There will be more or less loafing, a good
deal of exertion unwisely applied, a certain waste of
strength in random and unsystematic efforts, and a want
of the business-like precision and force which makes
every blow tell, and tell in the right place. Under these
circumstances many will grow uneasy, at length become
discouraged, and perhaps prove false to their early love.
But all these, we are fully persuaded, are merely tempo-
rary evils. They will soon pass away. They are like
the thin mists of the valley, which precede, but do not
prevent, the rising of the sun. The principles of Asso-
ciation are founded on the eternal laws of justice and
truth ; they present the only remedy for the appalling
confusion and discord of the present social state ; they
are capable of being carried into practice by just such
men and women as we daily meet in the usual walks of
life ; and as firmly as we believe in a Universal Provi-
dence, so sure we are that their practical accomplishment
is destined to bless humanity with ages of abundance,
harmony, and joy, surpassing the most enthusiastic
dream."
362 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
[Editorial in the Harbinger, June, 14, 1845.]
" We learn from a personal interview with Mr. Thorn-
burg, whose letter on the Ohio Phalanx was alluded to
in a recent number of the Phalanx^ that the affairs of
that Association wear a very promising aspect, and that
there can be no reasonable doubt of its success. He
gives a very favorable description of the soil and general
resources of the domain, and from all that we have
learned of its character, we believe there are few locali-
ties at the West better adapted for the purposes of an
experimental Association on a large scale. We sincerely
hope that our friends in that vicinity will concentrate
their efforts on the Ohio Phalanx, and not attempt to
multiply Associations, which, without abundant capital
and devoted and experienced men, will, almost to a cer-
tainty, prove unsuccessful. The true policy for all friends
of Associative movements, is to combine their resources,
and give an example of a well-organized Phalanx, in
complete and harmonic operation. This will do more
for the cause than any announcement of theories, how-
ever sound and eloquent, or ten thousand abortive
attempts begun in enthusiasm and forsaken in despair."
[From the correspondence of the Harbinger, July 19, 1845, announcing
the final dissolution.]
"On the 24th of June last, the Ohio Phalanx again
dissolved. The reason is the want of funds. Since the
former dissolution they have obtained no accession of
numbers or capital worth considering. The members,
I presume, will now disperse. They all retain, I believe,
their sentiments in favor of Association ; but they have
not the means to go on."
Madconald contributes the following summary, to
close the account :
OHIO PHALANX. 363
[From the Journal of a Resident Member of the Ohio Phalanx.]
"At the commencement of the experiment there
was general good-humor among the members. There
seemed to be plenty of means, and there was much
profusion and waste. There was no visible organization
according to Fourier, most of the members being in-
experienced in Association. They were too much
crowded together, had no school nor reading-room, and
the younger members, as might be expected, were at
first somewhat unruly. The character of the Associ-
ation had more of a sedate and religious tone, than a
lively or social one. There was too much discussion
about Christian union, etc., and too little practical in-
dustry and business talent. No weekly or monthly
accounts were rendered.
" About ten months after the commencement of the
Association, a partial scarcity of provisions took place,
and other difficulties occurred, which may in part be
attributed to neglect in keeping the accounts. At this
juncture Mr. Van Amringe started on a lecturing tour
in aid of the Association ; and the Phalanx had a meet-
ing at which Mr. Grant, who was then regent, stated
that between ^7,000 and ^8,000 had been expended
since they came together ; but no accounts were shown
giving the particulars of this expenditure. From the
difficult position in which the Phalanx was placed, Mr.
Grant advised the breaking-up of the concern, which
was agreed to, with two or three dissentients. [This
was probably the first dissolution, referred to in a
previous extract from the Harbinger-]
" On December 26 a new constitution was proposed
which caused much discontent and confusion ; and with
the commencement of 1845 more disagreements took
364 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
place, some in relation to the social amusements of the
people, and some regarding the debts of the Phalanx, the
empty treasury, the depreciation of stock, Mr. Van Am-
ringe's possession of the lease of the property, and the
bad prospect there was for raising the interest upon the
cost of the domain, which was about $4,140, or six per
cent on $ 69,000, the price of twenty-two hundred acres.
"On January 20th, 1845, another attempt at re-organi-
zation was made by persons who had full confidence in
the management of Mr. Grant, and on February 28th still
another re-organization was considered. On March loth
a general meeting of the Phalanx took place. Three
constitutions were read, and the third (attributed, I
believe, to Mr. Van Amringe), was adopted by a majority
of one. After this there was a meeting of the minority,
and the constitution of Mr. Grant was adopted with
some slight alterations. Difficulties now took place be-
tween the two parties, which led to a suit at law by one of
the members against the Ohio Phalanx. [These fluc-
tuations remind us of the experience of New Harmony
in its last days.]
"In such manner did the Association progress until
August 27, 1845, when it was whispered ^bout, that the
Phalanx was defunct, although no notification to that
effect was given to the members. Colonel Shriver, who
held the mortgage on the property, took alarm at the
state of affairs, and placed an agent on the premises to
look after his interests. This agent employed persons to
work the farm, and the members had to shift for them-
selves as best they could. Col. S. proposed an asssign-
ment of the whole property over to him, requiring entire
possession by the ist of October. This was assented
OHIO PHALANX. 365
to, though the value of the property was more than
enough to cover every claim.
" On September 9th advertisements were issued for
the public sale of the whole property, and on the 17th
of that month the sale took place before two or three
hundred persons. After this the members dispersed,
and the Ohio Phalanx was at an end. The lease of the
property had been made out in the name of Mr. Grant
for the Phalanx. It was afterward given up to him by
Mr. Van Artiringe, who had possession of it, and by
Mr. Grant was returned to Colonel Shriver.
" Much space might be occupied in endeavoring to
show the right and the wrong of these parties and pro-
ceedings, which to the reader would be quite unprofit-
able. The broad results we have before us, viz., that
certain supposed-to-be great and important principles
were tried in practice, and through a variety of causes
failed. The most important causes of failure were said
to be the deficiency of wealth, wisdom, and goodness ;
or if not these, the fallacy of the principles."
366 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE CLERMONT PHALANX.
This Association originated in Cincinnati. An enthusi-
astic convention of Socialists was held in that city on
the 22d of Februrary, 1844, at which interesting letters
were read from Horace Greeley, Albert Brisbane, and
Wm. H. Channing, and much discussion of various
practical projects ensued. A committee was appointed
to find a suitable domain; and at a second meeting on
the 14th of March, the society adopted a constitution,
elected officers, and opened books for subscription of
stock. Mr. Wade Loofbourrow, a gentleman of capital
and enterprise, took the lead in these proceedings, and
was chosen president of the future Phalan.x. A do-
main of nilie hundred acres was soou selected and
purchased on the banks of the Ohio, in Clermont
County, about thirty miles above Cincinnati. On the
9th of May a large party of the members proceeded
from Cincinnati on a steamer chartered for the occasion,
to take possession of the domain with appropriate
ceremonies, and leave a pioneer band to commence
operations. Macdonald accompanied this party, and
gives the following account of the excursion :
"There were about one hundred and thirty of us.
The weather was beautiful, but cool, and the scenery on
CLERMONT PHALANX. 367
the river was splendid in its spring dress. The various
parties brought their provisions with them, and toward
noon the whole of it was collected and spread upon the
table by the waiters, for all to have an equal chance.
But alas for equality ! On the meal being ready, a rush
was made into the cabin, and in a few minutes all the
seats were filled. In a few minutes'more the provisions
had all disappeared, and many persons who were not in
the first rush, had to go hungry. I lost my dinner that
day ; but improved the opportunity to observe and criti-
cise the ferocity of the Fourieristic appetite. We reached
the domain about two o'clock P. M., and marched on
shore in procession, with a band of music in front, lead-
ing the way up a road cut in the high clay bank ; and
then formed a mass meeting, at which we had praying,
music and speech-making. I strolled out with a friend
and examined the purchase, and we came to the conclu-
sion that it was a splendid domain. A strip of rich
bottom-land, about a quarter of a mile wide, was backed
by gently rolling hills, well timbered all over. Nine or
ten acres were cleared, sufficient for present use. Here
then was all that could be desired, hill' and plain, rich soil,
fine scenery, plenty of first-rate timber, a maple-sugar
camp, a good commercial situation, convenient to the
best market in the West, with a river running past that
would float any kind of boat or raft ; and with steam-
boats passing and repassing at all hours of the day and
night, to convey passengers or goods to any point
between New Orleans and Pittsburg. Here was wood
for fuel, clay and stone to make habitations, and a rich
soil to grow food. What more could be asked from
nature .'' Yet, how soon all this was found insufficient !
" The land was obtained on credit ; the price was
368 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
$ 20,000. One thousand was to be paid down, and the
rest in installments at stated periods. The first in-
stallment was paid ; enthusiasm triumphed ; and now
for the beginning! On my return to the landing, I
found a band of sturdy men commencing operations as
pioneers. They were clearing a portion of the wood
away with their axes, and preparing for building tem-
porary houses, the materials for which they brought
with them. A temporary tent was put up, and it would
surprise any one to hear how many things were going
to be done.
" We left the domain on our return at about five
P. M., and I noticed that the president, Mr. Loof-
bourrow, and the secretary, Mr. Green, remained with
the workmen. There were about a dozen persons left,
consisting, I believe, of carpenters, choppers and shoe-
makers. They all seemed in good spirits, and cheered
merrily on our departure."
A second similar excursion of Socialists from Cin-
cinnati came off on the 4th of July following, which
also Macdonald attended, and reports as follows :
" We left Cincinnati triumphantly to the sound of
martial music, and took our journey up the river in fine
spirits, the young people dancing in the cabin as we
proceeded. We arrived at the Clermont Phalanx about
one o'clock. On landing, we formed a procession and
marched to a new frame building, which was being
erected for a mill. Here an oration was delivered by a
Mr. Whitly, who, I noticed, had the Bible open before
him. After this we formed a procession again and
marched to a lot of rough tables enclosed within a line
of ropes, where we stood and took a cold collation.
CLERMONT PHALANX. 369
After this the folks enjoyed themselves with music and
dancing, and I took a walk about the place to see what
progress had been made since my last visit. The frame
building before mentioned was the only one in actual
progress. A steam-boiler had been obtained, and pre-
parations had been made to build other houses. A
temporary house had been erected to accommodate the
families then on the domain, amounting as I was in-
formed, to about one hundred and twenty persons. This
building was made exactly in the manner of the cabin
of a Western steamboat ; i. e., there was one long nar-
row room the length of the house, and little rooms like
state-rooms arranged on either side. Each little room
had one little window, like a port-hole ; and was intended
to accommodate a man and his wife, or two single men
temporarily. It was at once apparent that the persons
living there were in circumstances inferior to what they
had been used to ; and were enduring it well, while the
enthusiastic spirit held out. But it seldom lasts long.
It is said that people will endure these deprivations for
the sake of what is soon to come. But experience
shows that the endurance is generally brief, and that if
they are able, they soon return to the circumstances to
which they have been accustomed. They either find
that their patience is insufficient for the task, or that be-
ing in inferior circumstances, they are becoming inferior.
Be the cause what it may, the result is nearly always the
same. This Association had been on the ground only a
few months ; but I was told that disagreements had
already commenced. The persons brought together
were strangers to each other, of many different trades
and habits, and discord was the result, as might have
been anticipated. From one of the shoemakers I gained
370 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
considerable information as to their state and prospects.
In the afternoon we returned to the city."
[From the Phalanx, May 3, 1845.]
" We are glad to learn by the following notice, taken
from a Cincinnati paper, that the Clermont Phalanx still
lives, and is in a fair way of going on successfully. We
have received no account of it lately, and as the last
that we had was not very flattering in respect to its
pecuniary condition, we should not have been surprised
to hear of its dissolution. The indiscretion of starting
Associations without sufficient means and a proper
selection of persons, has been shown to be disastrous in
some other cases, and that we should fear for the fate
of this one was quite natural. But if our Clermont
friends can, by their devotion, energy and self-sacrificing
spirit, overcome the trying difficulties of a pioneer state,
rude and imperfect as it must be, they will deserve and
will receive an abundant reward. We bid them God
speed ! They say :
" ' The pioneer band, with their friends, took posses-
sion of the domain on the 9th day of May last year,
since which time we have been engaged in cultivating
our land, clearing away the forest, and erecting buildings
of various kinds for the use of the Phalanx.
" ' The amount of capital stock paid in is about
$ 10,000 ; % 3,000 of which has been paid for the domain.
We have a stock of cattle, hogs and sheep, and sufficient
teams and agricultural utensils of various kinds ; also a
steam saw- and grist-mill. Shoe, brush, tin and tailor's
shops are in active operation. There are on the ground
thirty-five able-bodied men, with a sufficient number of
women and children.
CLERMONT PHALANX. 3/1
" ' When we first entered on our domain, there were no
buildings of any description, except three log-cabins,
which were occupied by tenants. We have since erected
a building for a saw- and grist-mill, a frame building forty
by thirty feet, two stories high, and another, one story
high, eighty by thirty-six feet, and one thirty-six by
thirty feet, together with a kitchen, wash-house, etc.
These buildings are of course slightly built, being tem-
porary. We have also commenced a brick building
eighty by thirty feet, three stories high, which is ready
for the roof ; all the timbers are sawed for that purpose ;
and we expect soon to put them on.
" ' There are about two thousand cords of wood
chopped, part of "which is on the bank of the river.
There are thirty acres of wheat in the ground, in excel-
lent condition, and it is intended to put in good spring
crops. We are also preparing to plant large orchards
this spring, Mr. A. H. Ernst having made us the noble
donation of one thousand selected fruit-trees.' "
[From the Harlnuger, June 14, 1845.]
" George Sampson, Secretary of the Phalanx, says, in
an address soliciting funds : 'The members of the Asso-
ciation have the satisfaction of announcing that they
have just paid off this year's installment due for their
domain, amounting to ^4,505, and have also advanced
nearly ;^ 1,000 on their next year's payment. With
increased zeal and confidence we now look forward to
certain success.
[Letter from a member, in the Harbiii^^er, October 4, 1845.]
" Clermont Phalanx, September 13, 1845.
" I am pleased to have to inform you, that we are
improving since you were among us. We have had an
372 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
accession of members, three single men, and two with
families. One of them attends the saw-mill, which he
understands, and the others are carpenters and joiners,
whom we much needed.
" We are now hard at work on our large brick edifice.
We are fitting up a large dining-hall in the rear of it,
with kitchen, wash-house, bakery, etc. We think we
shall get into it in about five weeks from this time. We
now all sit down to the Phalanx table, and have done so
for about six weeks, and all goes on harmoniously. How
much better is this system than for each family to have
their own table, their own dining-room, kitchen, etc.
We have admitted several other members, who have not
yet arrived. We have applications before us from several
members of the Ohio Phalanx. How much I regret
that these people were compelled to abandon so beauti-
ful a location as Pultney Bottom, merely for want of
money to carry on their operations. Their experience
is the same as ours. Though their movement i'ailed,
they have become confirmed Associationists ; they know
that living together is practicable ; that the Phalanstery
is man's true home ; and the only one in which he can
enjoy all the blessings of earthly existence, without
those evils which flesh is heir to in false civilization."
Macdonald concludes his account with the following
observations :
"The Phalanx continued to progress, or to exist, till
the fall of 1846, when it was finally abandoned. During
its existence various circumstances concurred to hasten
its termination; among them the following: Stock to
the amount of ;^ 17,000 was subscribed, but scarcely
$6,000 of it was ever paid; consequently the Associ-
CLERMONT PHALANX. 373
ation could not meet its liabilities. An installment
of $3,000 had been paid at the purchase of the property,
but as the after installments could not be met, a portion
of the land had to be sold to pay for the rest. A little
jealousy, originating among the female portion of the
Community, eventually led to a law-suit on the part of
one of the male members against the Association, and
caused them some trouble. I have it also on good
authority, that an important difficulty took place be-
tween Mr. Loofbourrow and the Phalanx, relative to the
deed of the property which he held for the Phalanx.
"At one time there were about eighty persons on the
domain, exclusive of children. They were of various
trades and professions, and of various religious beliefs.
There was no common religious standard among them.
" Some of the friends of this experiment say it failed
from two causes, viz., the want of means and the want
of men ; while others attribute the failure to jealousy
and the law-suit, and also to losses they sustained by
flood."
The fifth volume of the Harbinger has a letter from
one who had been a member of the Clermont Phalanx,
giving a curious account of certain ghosts of Associa-
tions that flitted about the Clermont domain, after the
decease of the original Phalanx. Here is what it says :
[Letter in the Harbinger, October 2, 1847.]
" It was well known that our frail bark would strand
about a year ago. I need not say from what cause, as
the history of one such institution is the history of all ;
but it is commonly said and believed that it was owing
to our large indebtedness on our landed property. Per-
sons of large discriminating powers need not inquire
374 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
how and why such debt was contracted ; suffice it to
say, it was done, and under such burden the Clermont
Phalanx went down about the first of November, 1856.
The property of the concern was delivered up to our
esteemed friends, B. Urner and C. Donaldson of Cincin-
nati, who disposed of the land in such a way as to let it
fall into the hands of our friends of the Community
school, of which John O. Wattles, John P. Cornell and
Hiram S. Gilmore are conspicuous members, and who
seem to have all the pecuniary means and talents for
carrying on a grand and notable plan of reform. They
are now putting up a small Community building,
spaciously suited for six families, which for beauty,
convenience and durability, probably is not surpassed in
the western country.
" Of the old members of the Clermont, many returned
again to the city where the institution was first started,
but a goodly number still remain about the old domain,
making various movements for a re-organization. After
the break-up, a deep impression seemed to pervade the
whole of us that something had been wrong at the out-
set, in not securing individually a permanent place to
be, and then procuring the things to be with. Had that
been the case, a permanent and happy home would have
been here for us ere this time. But I will add with grati-
tude that such is the case now. We have a home ! we
have a place to be ! After various plans for uniting our
energies in the purchase of a small tract of land, we
were visited during the past summer by Mr. Josiah
Warren of New Harmony, Indiana, who laid before us
his plan for the use of property, in the rudimental re-
organization of society. Mr. Warren is a man of no
ordinary talents. In his investigations of human char-
CLERMONT PHALANX. 3/5
acter his experience has been of the most rigorous kind,
having begun with Mr. Owen in 1825, and been actively
engaged ever since ; and being an ingenious mechanic
and artist, an inventor of several kinds of printing-
presses and a new method of stereotyping and engrav-
ing, and an excellent musician, and combining withal a
character to do instead of say, gives us confidence in
him as a man. His plan was taken up by one of our
former members, who has an excellent tract of land
lying on the bank of the Ohio river, within less than a
mile of the old domain. He has had it surveyed into
lots, and sells to such of us as wish to join in the cause.
An extensive brick-yard is in operation, stone is being
quarried and lumber hauled on the ground, and build-
ings are about to go up ' with a perfect rush.' Mr.
Warren will have a press upon the ground in a few
weeks that will tell something. So you see we have a
home, we have a place. But by no means is the cause
at rest. We call upon philanthropists and all men who
have means to invest for the cause of Association, to
come and see us, and understand our situation, our
means and our intentions. We are ready to receive
capital in many forms, but not to hold it as our own.
The donor only becomes the lender, and must maintain
a strict control over every thing he possesses. [Here
Warren's Individual Sovereignty protrudes.] Farms and
farming utensils, mechanical tools, etc., can be received
only to be used and not abused ; and in the language of
the ' Poughkeepsie seer,' of whose work we have lately
received a number of copies, this all may be done with-
out seriously depreciating the capital or riches of one
person in society. On the contrary, it will enrich and
advance all to honor and happiness."
3 ^6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Here we come upon the trail of two old acquaintances.
John O. Wattles was one of the founders of the Prairie
Home Community. It seems from the above, that after
the failure of that experiment, he set up his tent among
the debris of the Clermont Phalanx. And Josiah
Warren came from the failure of his New Harmony
Time-store to the same favored or haunted spot, and
there started his Utopia. These intersections of the
wandering Socialists are intricate and interesting. Note
also that the ideas of the " Poughkeepsie seer," A. J.
Davis, whose star was then only just above the horizon,
had found their way to this queer mixture of all sorts of
Socialists.
377
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE INTEGRAL PHALANX.
This Association was founded in the early part of 1845
by John S. Williams of Cincinnati, who is spoken of by
the Phalanx, as one of the most active adherents of
Fourierism in the West. It settled first in Ohio, and
afterwards in Illinois.
[From the Ohio State Journal, June 14, 1845.
"An Association of citizens of Ohio, calling them-
selves the ' Integral Phalanx,' have recently purchased
the valuable property of Mr. Abner Enoch, near Middle-
town, Butler County, in this State, known by the
name of Manchester Mills, twenty-three miles north
of Cincinnati, on the Miami Canal. This property
embraces about nine hundred acres of the most fertile
land in Ohio, or perhaps in the world ; six hundred acres
of which lie in one body, and are now in the highest
state of cultivation, according to the usual mode of farm-
ing ; three hundred acres in wood and timber land.
There are now in operation on the place a large flour-
ing-mill, saw-mill, lath-factory and shingle-cutter, with
water-power which is abundantly sufficient to propel
all necessary machinery that the company may choose
to put in operation. The property is estimated to be
378 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
worth $75,000, but was sold to the Phalanx for 1^45,000.
As Mr. Enoch is himself an Associationist and a devoted
friend of the cause, the terms of sale were made still
more favorable, by the subscription, on the part of Mr.
Enoch, of $25,000 of purchase money, as capital stock
of the Phalanx. Entire possession of the domain is
to be given as soon as existing contracts of the propri-
etor are completed.
"Arrangements are already made for the vigorous
prosecution of the plans of the Phalanx. A press is to
be established on the domain, devoted to the science of
industrial Association generally, and the interests of the
Integral Phalanx particularly. Competent agents are
appointed to lecture on the science, and receive subscrip-
tions of stock and membership ; and it is contemplated
to erect, as soon as possible, one wing of a unitary
edifice, large enough to accommodate sixty-four families,
more than one-half of which number are already in the
.Association."
[From the Harbinger, July 19, 1845.]
" We have received the first number of a new paper,
entitled, the ' Plowshare and Pruning-Hook', which the
Integral Phalanx proposes to publish semi-monthly at
the rate of one dollar per year.
" The reasons presented for the establishment of the
Integral Phalanx are to our minds quite conclusive, and
we feel great confidence that its affairs will be managed
with the wisdom and fidelity which will insure success.
We earnestly desire to witness a fair and full experiment
of Association in the West. The physical advantages
which are there enjoyed, are far too great to be lost.
With the fertility of the soil, the ease with which it is
INTEGRAL PHALANX. 379
cultivated, the abundance of water-power, and the com-
parative mildness of the climate, a very few years of
judicious and energetic industry would place an Asso-
ciation in the West in possession of immense material
resources. They could not fail to accumulate wealth
rapidly. They could live in great measure within them-
selves, without being compelled to sustain embarrassing
relations with civilization ; and with the requisite moral
qualities and scientific knowledge, the great problem of
social harmony would approximate, at least, toward a
solution. We trust this will be done by the Integral
Phalanx. And to insure this, our friends in Ohio should
not be eager to encourage new experiments, but to con-
centrate their capital and talent, as far as possible, on
that Association which bids fair to accomplish the work
proposed. The advantages possessed by the Integral
Phalanx will be seen from the following statement in
their paper :
"'To say that our prospects are not good, would be to
say what we do not believe ; or to say that the Phalanx,
so far, is not composed of the right kind of materials,
would be to aftect a false modesty we desire not to
possess. One reason why our materials are superior is,
that young Phalanxes generally are known to be in
doubtful, difficult circumstances, and therefore the in-
ducement to rush into such movements merely from the
pressure of the evils of civilization, without a full con-
vincement of the good of Association, is not so great
as it was. We are composed of men whose reflective
organs, particularly that of caution, seem to be largely
developed. We believe in moving slowly, cautiously,
safely ; giving our Phalanx time to grow well, that
permanence may be the result. The members already
380 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
enrolled on the books of the Phalanx, are, in their
individual capacities, the owners of property to an
amount exceeding one hundred thousand dollars, clear
of all incumbrances ; and they are all persons of in-
dustrial energy and skill, fully capable of compelling
the elements of earth, air and water, to yield them
abundant contributions for that harmonic unity with
which their souls are deeply inspired. In view of all
these advantages we can, with full confidence, invite
the accession of numbers and capital, and assure them
of a safe investment in the Integral Phalanx.'"
[From the Harbinger, August 16, 1845.]
" We have received the second number of the
Plowshare and Pruning-Hook. Besides a variety of
interesting articles on the subject of Association, this
number contains the pledges and rules of the Integral
Phalanx, together with an explanation of some parts of
the instrument, which have been supposed to be rather
obscure. It is an elaborate document, exhibiting the
fruits of deep reflection, and aiming at the application of
scientific principles to the present condition of Associa-
tion. We do not feel ourselves called on to criticise it ;
as every written code for the government of a Phalanx
must necessarily be imperfect, of the nature of a com-
promise, adapted to special exigences, and taking its
character, in a great measure, from the local or per-
sonal circumstances of the Association for which it
is intended. In a complete and orderly arrangement
of groups and series, with attractive industry fully
organized, with a sufficient variety of character for
the harmonious development of the primary inherent
passions of our nature, and a corresponding abundance
INTEGRAL PHALANX. 38I
of material resources, we conceive that few written laws
would be necessary ; everything would be regulated with
spontaneous precision by the pervading common sense
of the Phalanx ; and the law written on the heart, the
great and holy law of attraction, would supersede all
others. But for this blessed condition the time is not
yet. Years may be required, before we shall see the
first red streaks of its dawning. Meanwhile, we must
make the wisest provisional arrangements in our power.
And no constitution recognizing the principles of dis-
tributive justice and the laws of universal unity, will be
altogether defective ; while time and experience will
suggest the necessary improvements.
" Three attorneys-at-law have left that profession and
joined the Integral Phalanx, not, as they say, that they
could not make a living, if they would stick to it and do
their share of the dirty work, but because by doing so
they must sacrifice their consciences, as the practice of
the law, in many instances, is but stealing under another
name. They are elevating themselves by learning
honest and useful trades, so as to become producers in
Association. A wise resolution."
Here comes a sudden turn in the story of this
Phalanx, for which the previous assurances of caution
and prosperity had not prepared us, and of which we can
find no detailed account. We skip from Ohio to Illinois,
with no explanation except the dark hints of trouble,
defeat, and partial dissolution, contained in the following
document. The Sangamon Phalanx, which seems to
have taken in the Integral (or was taken in by it), is one
of the Associations of which we have no account either
from Macdonald or the Fourier Journals.
382 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
[From the New York Tribune.\
" Home of the Integral Phalanx, \
Sangamon Co., Illinois, Oct. 20, 1845. \
" To the Editor of the Nezv York Tribune:
" We wish to apprise the friends of Association that the
Integral Phalanx, having for the space of one year wan-
dered like Noah's dove, finding no resting place for the
sole of its foot, has at length found a habitation. A union
was formed on the i6th of October inst., between it and
the Sangamon Association ; or rather the Sangamon
Association was merged in the Integral Phalanx ; its
members having abandoned its nam,e and constitution,
and become members of the Integral Phalanx, by placing
their signatures to its pledges and rules : the Phalanx
adopting their domain as its home. We were defeated,
and we now believe, very fortunately for us, in securing
a location in Ohio. We have, during the time of our
wanderings, gained some experience which we could not
otherwise have gained, and without which we were not
prepared to settle down upon a location. Our members
have been tried. We now know what kind of stuff they
are made of Those who have abandoned us in conse-
quence of our difficulties, were 'with us, but not of us,'
and would have been a hindrance to our efforts. They
who are continually hankering after the ' flesh-pots of
Egypt,' and are ready to abandon the cause upon the
first appearance of difficulties, had better stay out of
Association. If they will embark in the cause, every
Association should pray for difficulties sufficient to
drive them out. We need not only clear heads, but
also true hearts. We are by no means sorry for the
difficulties which we have encountered, and all we fear
is that we have not yet had sufficient difficulties to try
INTEGRAL PHALANX. 383
our souls, and show the principles by which we are
actuated.
" We have now a domaui embracing five hundred and
eight acres of as good land as can be found within the
limits of Uncle Sam's dominions, fourteen miles south-
west from Springfield, the capital of the State, and in
what is considered the best county and wealthiest por-
tion of the State. This domain can be extended to any
.desired limit by purchase of adjoining lands at cheap
rates. We have, however, at present, sufficient land
for our purposes. It consists of high rolling prairie and
woodlands adjoining, which can not be excelled in the
State, for beauty of scenery and richness of soil, covered
with a luxuriant growth of timber, of almost every
description, oak, hickory, sugar-maple, walnut, etc. The
land is well watered, lying upon Lick Creek, with springs
in abundance, and excellent well-water at the depth of
twenty feet. The land, under proper cultivation, will
produce one hundred bushels of corn to the acre, and
every thing else in proportion. There are five or six
comfortable buildings upon the property ; and a tempo-
rary frame-building, commenced by the Sangamon
Association (intended, when finished, to be three hun-
dred and sixty feet by twenty-four), is now being erected
for the accommodation of families.
"The whole domain is in every particular admirably
adapted to the industrial development of the Phalanx.
The railroad connecting Springfield with the Illinois
river, runs within two miles of the domain. There is
a steam saw- and flouring-mill within a few yards of our
present eastern boundary, which we can secure on fair
terms, and shall purchase, as we shall need it imme-
diately.
384 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" But we will not occupy more time with description,
as those who feel sufficiently interested, will visit us and
examine for themselves. We 'owe no man,' and althoug^h
we are called infidels by those who know not what con-
stitutes either infidelity or religion, we intend to obey at
least this injunction of Holy Writ. The Sangamon
Association had been progressing slowly, prudently and
cautiously, determined not to involve themselves in
pecuniary difficulties ; and this was one great inducement
to our union with them. We want those whose ' bump
of caution' is fully developed. Our knowledge of the
progressive movement of other Associations has taught
us a lesson which we will try not to forget. We are con-
vinced that we can never succeed with an onerous debt
upon us. We trust those who attempt it may be more
successful than we could hope to be.
" We are also convinced that we can not advance one
step toward associative unity, while in a state of anar-
chy and confusion, and that such a state of things must
be avoided. We will therefore not attempt even a uni-
tary subsistence, until we have the number necessary to
enable us to organize upon scientific principles, and in
accordance with Fourier's admirable plan of industrial
organization. The Phalanx will have a store-house,
from which all the families can be supplied at wholesale
prices, and have it charged to their account. It is better
that the different families should remain separate for five
years, than to bring them together under circumstances
worse than civilization. Such a course will unavoidably
create confusion and dissatisfaction, and we venture the
assertion that it has done so in every instance where it
has been attempted. Under our rules of progress, it
will be seen that until we are prepared to organize, we
INTEGRAL PHALANX. 385
shall go upon the system of hired labor. We pay to
each individual a full compensation for all assistance
rendered in labor or other services, and charge him a fair
price for what he receives from the Phalanx ; the balance
of earnings, after deducting the amount of what he re-
ceives, to be credited to him as stock, to draw interest
as capital. To capital, whether it be money or property
put in at a fair price, we allow ten per cent, com-
pound interest. This plan will be pursued until our
edifice is finished and we have about four hundred
persons, ready to form a temporary organization. Fou-
rier teaches us that this number is necessary, and if he
has taught the truth of the science, it is worse than folly
to pursue a course contrary to his instructions. If there
is any one who understands the science better than
Fourier did himself, we hope he will make the necessary
corrections and send us word. We intend to follow
Fourier's instructions until we find they are wrong ;
then we will abandon them.
"As to an attempt to organize groups and series until
we have the requisite number, have gone through a
proper system of training, and erected an edifice suf-
ficient for the accommodation of about four hundred
persons, every feature of our Rules of Progress forbids
it. We believe that the effort will place every Phalanx
that attempts it, in a situation worse than civilization
itself The distance between civilization and Association
can not be passed at one leap. There must necessarily
be a transition period ; and any set of rules or constitu-
tion (hampered and destroyed by a set of by-laws),
intended for the government of a Phalanx, during the
transition period, and which have no analogical reference
to the human form, will be worse than useless. They
386 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
will be an impediment instead of an assistance to the
progressive movement of a Phalanx. The child can not
leap to manhood in a day nor a month, and unless there
is a system of training suited to the different states
through which he must pass in his progress to manhood,
his energies can never be developed. If Associations
will violate every scientific principle taught by Fourier,
pay no regard to analogy, and attempt organisms of
groups and series before any preparation is made for it,
and then run into anarchy and confusion, and become
disgusted with their efforts, we hope they will have the
honesty to take the blame upon themselves, and not
charge it to the science of Association.
" We are ready at all times to give information of our
situation and progress, and we pledge ourselves to give
a true and correct statement of the actual situation of
the Phalanx. We pledge ourselves that there shall not
be found a variance between our written or published
statements, and the statements appearing upon our
records. Those of our members now upon the ground
are composed principally of the former members of the
Sangamon Association. We expect a number of our
members from Ohio this fall, and many more of them in
the spring. We have applications for information and
membership from different directions, and expect large
accession in numbers and capital during the coming
year. We can extend our domain to suit our own
convenience, as, in this land of prairies and pure at-
mosphere, we are not hemmed in by civilization to the
same extent as Socialists in other States. We have
elbow-room, and there is no danger of treading on each
other's toes and then fighting about it.
" The Plowshare and- Pruning-Hook will be con-
INTEGRAL PHALANX. 387
tinued from its second number, and published from the
home of the Integral Phalanx in a few weeks, as soon
as a press can be procured.
" Secretary of Integral Phalanx."
Here all information in the Harbinger about the
Integral comes to an end, and Macdonald breaks off
short with, " No further particulars."
388 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE ALPHADELPHIA PHALANX.
This Association was commenced in the winter of
1843 — 4' principally by the exertions of Dr. H. R.
Schetterly of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a disciple of Bris-
bane and the Tribune. The Pha/anxoi February 5, 1844,
publishes its prospectus, from which we take the follow-
ing paragraph :
" Notice is hereb}' given, that a Fourier industrial
Association, called the Alphadelphia Phalanx, has been
formed in this State, under the most flattering pros-
pects. A constitution has been adopted and signed,
and a domain selected on the Kalamazoo river, which
seems to possess all the advantages that could be
desired. It is extremely probable {judging from the
information possessed), that only half the applicants can
be received into one Association, because the number
will be too great: and if such should be the case, two
Associations will doubtless be formed ; for such is the
enthusiasm in the West that people will not suffer them-
selves to be disappointed."
[From the P/ia/anx, March i, 1844.]
"Thf. Alphadelphia Association. — We have re-
ceived the constitution of this Association, a notice of
the formation of which was contained in our last. In
ALPHADELPHIA PHALANX. 389
most respects the constitution is similar to that of the
North American Phalanx. It will be seen by the
description of the domain selected, which we publish
below, that the location is extremely favorable. The
establishment of this Association in Michigan is but a
pioneer movement, which we have no doubt will soon be
followed by the formation of many others. Our friends
are already numerous in that State, and the interest in
Association is rapidly growing there, as it is throughout
the West generally. The West, we think, will soon
become the grand theater of action, and ere long Asso-
ciations will spring up so rapidly that we shall scarcely
be able to chronicle them. The people, the farmers
and mechanics particularly, have only to understand the
leading principles of our doctrines, to admire and
approve of them ; and it would therefore be no matter
of surprise to see in a short time their general and sim-
ultaneous adoption. Indeed, the social transformation
from a state of isolation with all its poverty and miseries,
to a state of Association with its immense advantages
and prosperity, may be much nearer and proceed more
rapidly than we now imagine. The signs are many and
cheering."
History and Description of the Alphadelphia Association.
" In consequence of a call of a convention published
in the Primitive Expounder, fifty-six persons assembled
in the school-house at the head of Clark's lake, on the
fourteenth day of December last, from the Counties of
Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw, Genesee, Jackson, Eaton,
Calhoun and Kalamazoo, in the State of Michigan ; and
after a laborious session of three days, from morning to
midnight, adopted the skeleton of a constitution, which
390 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
was referred to a committee of three, composed of Dr.
H. R. Schetterly, Rev. James Billings and Franklin
Pierce, Esq., for revision and amendment. A committee
consisting of Dr. Schetterly, John Curtis and William
Grant, was also elected to view three places, designated
by the convention as possessing the requisite qualifica-
tions for a domain. The convention then adjourned to
meet again at Bellevue, Eaton County, on the third day
of January, to receive the reports of said committees, to
choose a domain from those reported on by the commit-
tee on location, and to revise, perfect and adopt said
constitution. This adjourned convention met on the
day appointed, and selected a location in the town of
Comstock, Kalamazoo County, whose advantages nre
described by the committee on location, in the following
terms :
" The Kalamazoo river, a large and beautiful stream,
nine rods' wide, and five feet deep in the middle, flows
through the domain. The mansion and manufactories
will stand on a beautiful plain, descending gradually to-
ward the bank of the river, which is about twelve feet
high. There is a spring, pouring out about a barrel of
pure water per minute, half a mile from the place where
the mansion and manufactories will stand. Cobble-stone
more than sufficient for foundations and building a dam,
and easily accessible, are found on the domain ; and
sand and clay, of which excellent brick have been made,
are also abundant. The soil of the domain is exceed-
ingly fertile, and of great variety, consisting of prairie,
oak openings, and timbered and bottom-land along the
river. About three thousand acres of it have been
tendered to our Association, as stock to be appraised at
the cash value, nine hundred of which are under cultiva-
ALPHADELPHIA PHALANX. 39I
tion, fit for the plow ; and nearly all the remainder has
been offered in exchange for other improved lands
belonging to members at a distance, who wish to invest
their property in our Association."
[Letter from H. R. Schetterly.]
" Ann Arbor, May 20, 1844.
" Gentlemen : — Your readers will no doubt be
pleased to learn every important movement in indus-
trial Association ; and therefore I send you an account
of the present condition of the Alphadelphia Associa-
tion, to the organization of which all my time has been
devoted since the beginning of last December.
" The Association held its first annual meeting on the
second Wednesday in March, and at the close of a
session of four days, during which its constitution and
by-laws were perfected, and about eleven hundred
persons, including children and adults, admitted to
membership, adjourned to meet on the domain on the
first of May. Its officers repaired immediately to the
place selected last winter for the domain, and after over-
coming great difficulties, secured the deeds of 2,814
acres of land, (927 of which is under cultivation), at a
cost of $32,000. This gives us perfect control over an
immense water-power ; and our land-debt is only $5,776
(the greater portion of the land having been invested as
stock), to be paid out of a proposed capital of $240,000,
$14,000 of which is to be paid in cash during the
summer and autumn. More land adjoining the domain
has since been tendered as stock ; but we have as much
as we can use at present, and do not wish to increase
our taxes and diminish our first annual dividend too
much. It will all come in as soon as wanted. At our
392 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
last meeting the number of members was increased to
upwards of 1,300, and more than one hundred applicants
were rejected, because there seemed to be no end, and
we became almost frightened at the number. Among
our members are five mill-wrights, six machinists,
furnacemen, printers, manufacturers of cloth, paper, etc.,
and almost every other kind of mechanics you can
mention, besides farmers in abundance.
" Farming and gardening were commenced on the
domain about the middle of April, and two weeks since,
when I came away, there were seventy-one adult male
and more than half that number of adult female laborers
on the ground, and more constantly arriving. We shall
not however be able to accommodate more than about
200 resident members this season.
"There is much talk about the formation of other
Associations in this State (Michigan), and I am well
convinced that others will be formed next winter. The
fact is, men have lost all confidence in each other, and
those who have studied the theory of Association, are
desirous of escaping from the present hollow-hearted
state of civilized society, in which fraud and heartless
competition grind the more noble-minded of our citizens
to the dust.
" The Alphadelphia Association will not commence
building its mansion this season ; but several groups have
been organized to erect a two-story wooden building,
five hundred and twenty-three feet long, including the
wings, which will be finished the coming Fall, so as to
answer for dwellings till we can build a mansion, and
afterwards may be converted into a silk establishment
or shops. The principal pursuit this year, besides put-
ting up this building, will be farming and preparing for
ALPHADELPHIA PHALANX. 393
erecting a furnace, saw-mill, machine-shop, etc. We
have more than one hundred thousand feet of lumber on
hand ; and a saw-mill, which we took as stock, is run-
ning day and night.
" I do not see any obstacle to our future prosperity.
Our farmers have plenty of wheat on the ground. We
have teams, provisions, all we ought to desire on the
domain ; and best of all, since the location of the
buildings has been decided, we are perfectly united, and
have never yet had an angry discussion on any subject.
We have religious meetings twice a week, and preaching
at least once, and shall have schools very soon. If God
be for us, of which we have sufficient evidence, who can
prevail against us .-•
" Our domain is certainly unrivaled in its advantages
in Michigan, possessing every kind of soil that can be
found in the State. Our people are moral, religious,
and industrious, having been actually engaged in manual
labor, with few exceptions, all their days. The place
where the mansion and out-houses will stand, is a
most "^beautiful level plain, of nearly two miles in ex-
tent, that wants no grading, and can be irrigated
by a constant stream of water flowing from a lake.
Between it and the river is another plain, twelve feet
lower, on which our manufactories may be set in any
desirable position. Our mill-race is half dug by nature,
and can be finished, according to the estimate of the
State engineer, for eighteen hundred dollars, giving five
and a-half feet fall without a dam, which may be raised
by a grant from the Legislature, adding three feet more,
and affording water-power sufficient to drive fifty pair of
mill-stones. A very large spring, brought nearly a mile
in pipes, will rise nearly fifty feet at our mansion. The
394 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Central railroad runs across our domain. We have a
great abundance of first-rate timber, and land as rich as
any in the State.
"Our constitution is liberal, and secures the fullest
individual freedom and independence. While capital is
fully protected in its rights and guaranteed in its in-
terests, it is not allowed to exercise an undue control, or
in the least degree encroach on personal liberty, even if
this too common tendency could possibly manifest
itself in Association. As we proceed I will inform you
of our progress. H. R. Schetterly."
The Harbinger of January 17, 1846, mentions the
Alphadelphia as still existing and in hopeful condition ;
but we find no further notice of it in that quarter.
Macdonald tells the following story of its fortunes and
failure, the substance of which he obtained from Dr.
Schetterly :
"At the commencement a disagreement took place
between a Mr. Tubbs and the rest of the members.
Mr. Tubbs wanted to have the buildings located on the
land he had owned ; but the Association would not
agree to that, because the digging of a mill-race on the
side of the river proposed by Mr. Tubbs would have
cost nearly $18,000 ; whereas on the railroad side of the
river, which was supposed to be a much better building-
place, the race would have cost only $ 1,800. The con-
sequence was that all but Mr. Tubbs voted for the rail-
road side, and Mr. Tubbs left, no doubt in disgust, at
the same time cautioning every person against investing
property in the Phalanx. This disagreement at the
commencement of the experiment threw a damper on it,
from which it never entirely recovered.
ALPHADELPHIA PHALANX. 395
"There were a number of ordinary farm-houses on
the domain, and a beginning of a Phalanstery seventy
feet long was erected to accommodate those who resided
there the first winter. The rooms were comfortable but
small. A large frame-house was also begun. During
the warm weather a number of persons lived in a large
board shanty.
" The members of the Association were mostly farm-
ers, though there were builders, shoemakers, tailors,
blacksmiths and printers, and one editor ; all tolerably
skillful and generally well informed ; though but few
could write for the paper called the Tocsin, which was
published there. The morality of the members is said
to have been good, with one exception. A school was
carried on part of the time, and they had an exchange
of some seventy periodicals and newspapers. No
religious tests were required in the admission of mem-
bers. They had preaching by one of the printers, or by
any person who came along, without asking about his
creed.
" All lived in clover so long as a ton of sugar or any
other such luxury lasted ; but before provisions could be
raised, these luxuries were all consumed, and most of
the members had to subsist afterward on coarser fare
than they were accustomed to. No money was paid in,
and the members who owned property abroad could not
sell it. The officers made bad bargains in selling some
farms that lay outside the domain. Laborers became
discouraged and some left ; but many held on longer
than they otherwise would have done, because a hundred
acres of beautiful wheat greeted them in the fields. In
the winter some of the influential members went away
temporarily, and thus left the real friends of the Associ-
396 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ation in the minority ; and when they returned after two
or three months absence, every thing was turned up-side-
down. There was a manifest lack of good management
and foresight. The old settlers accused the majority of
this, and were themselves elected officers ; but it appears
that they managed no better, and finally broke up the
concern."
397
CHAPTER XXXIII.
LA GRANGE PHALANX.
The first notice ':^f this Association is the following
announcement in the Phalanx, October 5, 1843:
" Preparations are making to establish an Association
in La Grange County, Indiana, which will probably be
done this fall, upon quite an extensive scale, as many of
the most influential and worthy inhabitants of that
section are deeply interested in the cause."
[From a letter of W. S. Prentise, Secretary of the La Grange Phalanx,
published in the Phalan.x, February 5, 1844.]
"We have now about thirty families, and I believe
might have fifty, if we had room for them. We have
in preparation and nearly completed, a building large
enough to accommodate our present members. They
will all be settled and ready to commence business in the
spring. They leave their former homes and take posses-
sion of their rooms as fast as they are completed. The
building, including a house erected before we began by
the owner of a part of our estate, is one hundred and
ninety-two feet long, two stories high, divided so as to
give each family from twelve to sixteen feet front and
twenty-six feet depth, making a front room and one or
two bed-rooms. One hundred and twenty feet of this
398 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
building is entirely new. We commenced it in Septem-
ber, and have had lumber, brick and lime to haul from
five to twelve miles. All these materials can be hereafter
furnished on our domain. Notwithstanding the disad-
vantages and waste attendant on hasty action without
previous plan, we shall have our tenements at least as
cheap again as they would cost separately. Our farm
consists of about fifteen hundred acres of excellent land,
four hundred of which is improved, about three hundred
of rich meadow, with a stream running through it, falling
twelve feet, and making a good water-power. We are
about forty miles from Fort Wayne, on the Wabash and
Erie canal. Our land, including one large new house
and three large new barns, and a saw-mill in operation,
cost us about $ 8.00 per acre. It was put in as stock, at
$10.31 for improved, and $2.68 for unimproved. We
have about one hundred head of cattle, two hundred
sheep, and horse and ox teams enough for all purposes :
also farming tools in abundance ; and in fact every
thing necessary to carry on such branches of business
as we intend to undertake at present, except money.
This property was put in as stock, at its cash value ;
cows at $ 10.00, sheep $ 1.50, horses $50.00, wheat fifty
cents, corn twenty-five cents.
"We shall have about one hundred and fifty persons
when all are assembled ; probably about half of this
number will be children. Our school will commence
in a few days. We have a charter from the Legislature,
one provision of which, inserted by ourselves, is, that
we shall never, as a society, contract a debt. We are
located in Springfield, La Grange County, Indiana.
The nearest post-office is Mongoquinong. We think
our location a good one. Our members are seventy-
LA GRANGE PHALANX. 399
three of them'practical farmers, and the rest mechanics,
teachers, etc. We shall not commence building our
main edifice at present. When our dwelling rooms, now
in progress, are completed, and such work-shops as are
necessary to accommodate our mechanics, we shall stop
building until more capital flows in, either from abroad
or from our own labors. It is a pity that the mechanics
of the city and farmers of the country could not be
united. They would do far better together than sepa-
rate. We have two of the best physicians in the
country in our number."
[From the Harbinger, July 4, 1846.]
" La Grange Phalanx. — This Association has been
in operation some two years, and has been incorpo-
rated since the first of June, 1845. It commenced on
the sure principle of incurring no debts, which it has
adhered to, with the exception of some fifteen hundred
dollars yet due on its domain. We find in the True Toc-
sin a statement of the operations of this Association
for the last fifteen months, and of its present condition,
by Mr. Anderson, its Secretary, from which we make
the following extracts :
" Annual Statement of the condition of La Grange Phalanx,
on the 1st day of April, 1846.
" Total valuation of the real and personal estate of
the Phalanx, including book accounts, due from
members and others . . % 19,861.61
Deduct capital stock % 14,668.39
" debts 1,128.82 15,797.21
Total product for fifteen months previous to
the above date $4,06440
Being a net increase of property on hand (since our set-
400 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
dement on the ist of January, 1845), of $ 1,535.63, the
balance of the total product above having been con-
sumed (namely, 1^2,531.72) in the shape of rent, tuition,
fuel, food and clothing. The above product forms a
dividend to labor of sixty-one cents eight mills per day
of ten hours, and to the capital .stock four and eleven-
twelfths per cent, per annum.
" Our domain at present consists of ten hundred and
forty-five acres of good land, watered by living springs.
The land is about one-half prairie, the balance openings,
well timbered, We have four hundred and ninety-two
acres improved, and two hundred and fifty acres of
meadow. The improvements in buildings are three
barns, some out-houses, blacksmith's-shop, and a dwell-
ing house large enough to accommodate sixteen families ;
besides a school-room twenty-six by thirty-six feet, and
a dining-room of the same size. All our land is within
fences. We consider our condition bids fair for the
realization of at least a share of happiness, even upon
the earth.
"The rule by which this Association makes dividends
to capital is as follows : When labor shall receive
seventy-five cents per day of ten hours at average or
common farming labor, then capital shall receive six per
cent, per annum, and in that ratio, be the dividend
what it may; in other words, an investment of one
hundred dollars for one year will receive the same
amount which might be paid to eight days average
labor.
" There are now ten families of us at this place, busily
engaged in agriculture. We are rather destitute of
mechanics, and would be very much pleased to have a
good blacksmith and shoemaker, of good moral char-
LA GRANGE PHALANX. 4OI
acter and steady habits, and withal Associationists,
join our number.
"Since our commencement in the fall of 1843, our
school has been in active operation up to the present
time, with the exception of some few vacations. It is
our most sincere desire to have the very best instruction
in school, which our means will enable us to procure."
The Harbmger adds : " The preamble to the consti-
tution of this little band of pioneers in the cause of
human elevation, shows that their enterprise is animated
by the highest purposes. We trust that they will not
be disheartened by any discouragements or obstacles.
These must of necessity be many ; but it should be
borne in mind that they can not be equal to the burdens
which the selfishness and antagonism of the existing
order of things lay upon every one who toils through its
routine. The poorest Association affords a sphere of
purer, more honest, and heartier life than the best society
that we know of in the civilized world. Let our friends
persevere ; they are on the right track, and whatever
mistakes they may make, we do not doubt that they will
succeed in establishing for themselves and their children
a society of united interests."
[Communication in the HarHnger.\
Spf'ingjield, June, 14, 1846.
" We hope our humble effort here to establish a
Phalanx, will in due time be crowned with success.
Our prospects since we got our charter have been very
cheering, notwithstanding the difficulties attendant
upon so weak an attempt to form a nucleus, around
which we expect to see truth and happiness assembled
in perpetual union, and that too at no very distant
402 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
period. Our numbers have lately been increased by
some members from the Alphadelphia Association, whose
faith has outlived that of others in the attempt to estab-
lish an Association at that place.
" Agriculture has been our main and almost only
employment since we came together. We. have ten
hundred and forty-five acres of excellent land, four
hundred and ninety-two acres of which are improved,
and two hundred and fifty acres of it are natural
meadow. We are preparing this fall to sow three
hundred acres of wheat. Our domain is as yet destitute
of water-power except on a very limited scale. Our
location in other respects is all that could be wished.
We have a very fine orchard of peach- and apple-trees,
set out mostly a year ago last spring, and many of
the trees will soon bear, they having been moved from
orchards which were set out for the use of families
on different points of what we now call our domain.
We shall have this season a considerable quantity of
apples and peaches from old trees which have not been
moved. The wheat crop promises to be very abund-
ant in this part of the country. Oats and corn are
rather backward on account of the late dry weather.
We have at present on the ground one hundred and
forty acres of wheat, fifty-two acres of oats, thirty-
eight acres of corn, besides buckwheat, potatoes, beans,
squashes, pumpkins, melons and what not.
"William Anderson, Secretary."
Macdonald gives the following meager account of the
decease of this Phalanx :
" A person named Jones owned nearly one-half of the
stock, and it appears that his influence was such that he
managed trading and money matters all in his own way,
LA GRANGE PHALANX. 4O3
whether he was an officer or not. This gave great dis-
satisfaction to the members, and has been assigned as
the chief cause of their failure. They possessed about
one thousand acres of land, with plenty of buildings of
all kinds. The members were mostly farmers, tolerably
moral, but lacking in enterprise and science. They
maintained schools and preaching in abundance, and
lived as well as western farmers commonly do. But
they fully proved that, though hard labor is important in
such experiments, yet without the right kind of genius
to guide, mere labor is vain."
404 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
OTHKR WE.STERN EXPERIMENTS.
A HALF dozen obscure Association.s, begun or contem-
plated in the Western States, will be disposed of
together in this chapter ; and then all that will remain
of the experiments on our list, will be the famous
trio with which we propose to conclude our history
of American Fourierism — the Wisconsin, the North
American and the Brook Farm Phalanxes.
One of the experiments mentioned by Macdo-.iald, but
about which he gives very little information, was
THE COLUMBIAN PHALANX.
This Association turns up twice in the pages of the
Harbinger ; but we can not ascertain when it started,
how long it lasted, nor even where it was located, except
that it was in Franklin County, Ohio. Nevertheless it
crowed cheerily in its time, as the following paragraphs
testify :
[Letter to the llm\>iii<jei, .-Xugust 15, 1845. J
" It is reported all through the country, and currently
within thirty miles of the location, that the Columbian
Phalanx have disbanded and broken up ; and that those
who remain are in a constant state of discontent and bick-
ering, owing to want of food and comforts of life. Now,
WESTERN EXPERIMENTS. 405
sir, having visited this spot, and viewed for myself, I
can safely say, that in no one thing is this true. In fact
only one family has left, and it is supposed that they
can't stay away ; while five families are now entering or
about to enter, from Beverly, Morgan County, all of
good, substantial character. As good a state of har-
mony exists in the Phalanx as could possibly be expected
in so incipient a state. On Saturday last, having the
required number of families (thirty-two), they went into
an inceptive organization ; and all feel that at no time
have the prospects been as fair as at this moment. In
proof of this, it need only be stated, that they are about
four thousand dollars ahead of their payments, and no in-
terest due till spring, with no other debts that they are
not able to meet. They have one hundred and thirty-
seven acres of wheat, and thirteen of rye, all of a most
excellent quality, decidedly the best that I have seen this
year ; not more than ten or fifteen acres at all injured.
On a part of it they calculate to get twenty-five bush-
els to the acre. They have one hundred and fifty acres
of corn, much better than the corn generally in Franklin
County ; one hundred acres of oats, all of the largest
kind ; fifteen acres of potatoes, in the most flourishing
condition ; four acres of beans ; five acres of vines ; be-
sides forty acres of pumpkins ! (won't they have pies !)
one acre of sweet potatoes ; ten thousand cabbage plants ;
and are preparing ground for five acres of turnips ; six
acres of buckwheat ; five acres of flax, and ten acres of
garden. I had the pleasure of taking dinner with them
to-day at the public table, furnished as comfortably as we
generally find. They have provisions enough growing
to supply three times their number, and they are calcu-
lating on a large increase this season. They are fully
406 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
satisfied of the validity of their deed, which they are
soon to secure."
[A letter from a Member, in the Harbinger.^
"Columbian Phalanx, October 4, 1845.
" If I have said aught in high-toned language of our
future prospects, preserve it as truth, sacred as Holy
Writ. We are in a prosperous condition. The little
difficulties which beset us for a time, arising from lack
of means, and which the world magnified into destruc-
tion and death, have been dissipated.
" Our crops of grain are the very best in the State of
Ohio, a very severe drought having prevailed in the
north of the State. We could, if we wished, sell all our
corn on the ground. We have one hundred and fifty
acres, every acre of which will yield one hundred bushels.
We have cut one hundred acres of good oats. Potatoes,
pumpkins, melons, etc., are also good. We are now
getting out stuff to build a flouring-mill in Zanesville,
for a Mr. Beaumont ; two small groups of seven persons
each, make twenty-five dollars per day at the job. We
have the best hewed timber that ever came to Zanes-
ville ; and it is used in all the mills and bridges in this
region We have purchased fixtures for a new steam
saw-mill, with two saws and a circulator, and various
other small machinery, all entirely new, which we shall
get into operation soon. Plenty to eat, drink, and wear,
with three hundred dollars per week coming in, all from
our own industry, imparts to us a tone of feeling of a
quite different zest, to an abundance obtained in any
other way. The world has watched with anxious solici-
tude our capacity to survive alone. Now that we have
gained shore, we find extended to us the right hand of
WESTERN EXPERIMENTS. 407
the capitalist and the laboring man ; they beg permission
to join our band.
" You are already aware, no doubt, that the Beverly
Association has joined us. The Integral having failed to
obtain the location they had selected, some of the mem-
bers have united their efforts with us. Tell Mr. W., of
Alleghany, to come here ; tell him for me that all danger
is out of the question. Please by all means tell Mr. M.
to come here ; tell him what I have written. Tell H.,
of Beaver, to come and see us, and say to him that you
have alway failed in depicting the comforts and pleasures
of Association. And in fine, say to all the Associa-
tionists in Pittsburg, that we are doing well, even better
than we ourselves ever expected ; and if they wish to
know more and judge for themselves, let them come and
see us. Yours, j. r. w."
These are all the memorials that remain of the Col-
umbian Phalanx. Another experiment of some note
and enterprise, but with scanty history, was
THE spring farm ASSOCIATION, WISCONSIN.
" In the year 1845," says Macdonald, " there was quite
an excitement in the quiet little village of Sheboygan
Falls, Wisconsin, on tlie subject of Fourier Associa-
tion, stimulated by the energetic mind of Dr. P, Cady of
Ohio. Meetings were held and Socialism was discussed,
until ten families agreed to attempt an Association
somewhere in the wilds of Sheboygan County. In
making a selection of a suitable place, they divided into
two parties, the one wishing to settle on the shore of
Lake Michigan, and the other about twenty miles from
the lake and six miles from any habitation. So strong
were the opinions and prejudices of each, that the
408 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
tents were pitched in both places. The following brief
account relates to the one which was commenced in
February, 1846, on Government land about twenty miles
from the lake shore, and was named ' Spring Farm ' from
the lovely springs of water which were found there.
(The other company was less successful.) The objects
proposed to be carried out by this little band, were
' Union, Equal Rights, and Social Guaranties.'
"The pecuniary means, to begin with, amounted to
only $ 1,000, put in as joint stock. The members con-
sisted of six families, including ten children. Among
them were farmers, blacksmiths, carpenters and joiners.
They were tolerably intelligent, and with religious
opinions various and free. They possessed an unfinished
two-story frame building, twenty feet b)' thirty. They
cultivated thirty acres of the prairie, and a small opening
in the timber ; but they appear to have made very little
progress ; though they worked in company for three
years.
One of the members thus answered Macdonald's
questions concerning the general course and results of
the experiment :
" Mr. B. C. Trowbridge was generally looked up to as
leader of the society. The land was bought of Gov-
ernment by individual resident members. We had
nothing to boast of in improvements ; they were only
anticipated. We obtained no aid from without ; what
we did not provide for ourselves, we went without. The
frost cut off our crops the second year, and left us short
of provisions. We were not troubled with dishonest
management, and generally agreed in all our affairs.
We dissolved by mutual agreement. The reasons of
WESTERN EXPERIMENTS. 4O9
failure were poverty, diversity of habits and dispo-
sitions, and disappointments through failure of harvest.
Though we failed in this attempt, yet it has left an
indelible impression on the minds of one-half the
members at least, that a harmonious Association in
some form is the way, and the only way, that the
human mind can be fully and properly developed ; and
the general belief is, that community of property is the
most practicable form. "
THE BUREAU COUNTY PHALANX.
In the first number of the Phalanx, October 5, 1843,
it is mentioned that a small Association had been com-
menced in Bureau County, Illinois. Macdonald repeats
the mention, and adds, " No further particulars."
THE WASHTENAW PHALANX
was projected at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a monthly
paper called the Future, was started in connection with
it ; but it appears to have failed before it got fairly into
operation ; as the Phalanx barely refers to it once, and
Macdonald dismisses it as a mere abortive excitement.
GARDEN GROVE COMMUNITY, IOWA,
was projected by D. Roberts, W. Davis, and others.
The plan was to settle a colony of the " right sort " on
contiguous lots, each family with its separate farm and
dwelling, but all having a common pleasure-ground,
dancing-hall, lecture-room and seminary. What came
of it is not known.
THE IOWA PIONEER PHALANX
is mentioned twice in the Phalanx, as a Fourierist colony
about to emigrate from Jefferson County, New York, to
410 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Iowa. It issued a paper ; but whether it ever emigrated
or what became of it, does not appear.
If there were any more of these feeble experiments —
as there may have been many — they escaped the sharp
eyes of Macdonald and the Harbinger, and left no
memorials.
411
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE WISCONSIN PHALANX.
This was one of the most conspicuous experiments of
the Fourier epoch. The notices of it in the Phalanx
and Harbi7iger are quite voluminous. We shall have to
curtail them as much as possible, and still our patch-
work will be a long one. The Wisconsin had the
advantage of most other Phalanxes in the skill of its
spokesman. Mr. Warren Chase, a gentleman at present
well known among Spiritualists, was its founder and
principal manager. Most of the important communica-
tions relating to it in the socialistic Journals and other
papers, were from his ready pen. We will do our best
to save all that is most valuable in them, while we omit
what seems to be irrelevant or repetitious. It may be
understood that we are indebted to the Phalanx and
Harbinger for nearly all our quotations from other
papers.
[From the Green Bay Republican, April 30, 1844.]
"Wisconsin Phalanx. — We have just been informed
by the agent of the above Association, that the locale
has been chosen, and ten sections of the finest land in
the Territory entered at the Green Bay Land Office.
The location is on a small stream near Green Lake,
412 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Marquette county. The teams conveying the requisite
implements, will start in a week, and the improvements
will be commenced immediately. We are in favor of
Fourier's plan of Association, although we very much
fear that it will be unsuccessful on account of the
selfishness of mankind, this being the principal obstacle
to be overcome : yet we are pleased to see the com-
mendable zeal manifested by the members of the
Wisconsin Phalanx, who are mostly leading and influ-
ential citizens of Racine County. The feasibility of
Association will now be tested in such a manner that
the question will be decided, at least so far as Wisconsin
is concerned.
[From a letter in the Southport Telegraph^
Wisconsin Phalanx, May 27, 1844.
"We left Southport on Monday, the 20th inst., and
arrived on the proposed domain, without accident, on
Saturday last at five o'clock P. M. This morning
(Monday) the first business was to divide into two
companies, one for finding the survey stakes, and the
other for setting up the tent on the ground designed for
building and gardening purposes. Eight men, with ox-
teams and cattle, arrived between nine and ten A. M.
After dinner the members all met in the tent and pro-
ceeded to a regular organization, Mr. Chase being in the
chair and Mr. Rounds Secretary.
"A prayer was offered, expressing thanks for our safe
protection and arrival, and invoking the Divine blessing
for our future peace and prosperity. The list of resi-
dent members was called (nineteen in number), and
they divided themselves into two series, viz., agricultural
and mechanical (each appointing a foreman), with a
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 413
miscellaneous group of laborers, under the supervision
of the resident directors.
"A letter was read by request of the members, from
Peter Johnson, a member of the board of directors,
relating to the proper conduct of the members in their
general deportment, and reminding them of their obli-
gations to their Creator.
"The agricultural series are to commence plowing
and planting to-morrow, and the mechanical to excavate
a cellar and prepare for the erection of a frame building,
twenty-two feet by twenty, which is designed as a cen-
tral wing for a building twenty-two feet by one hundred
and twenty. There are nineteen men and one boy now
on the domain. The stock consists of fifty-four head of
cattle, large and small, including eight yoke of oxen and
three span of horses. More men are expected during
the week, and others are preparing to come this summer.
Families will be here as the building can be sufficiently
advanced to accommodate them.
" A few words in regard to the domain : There is a
stream which, from its clearness, we have denominated
Crystal Creek ; it has sufficient fall and water supplied
by springs, for one or two mill-seats. It runs over a bed
of lime-stone, which abounds here, and can be had con-
venient for fences and building. There is a good supply
of prairie and timber. Every member is well pleased
with the location, and also the arrangements for busi-
ness. Up to this time no discordant note has sounded
in our company.
" We have begun without a debt, which is a source of
great satisfaction to each member ; and we are certain of
success, provided that the same union prevails which
has hitherto, and the company incur no debt by loan or
414 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
otherwise, in the transaction of business. We expect to
be prepared this summer or fall to issue the prospectus
of a paper to be published on the ground
"Geo. H. Stebbins."
[From a letter of Warren Chase.]
" IVisconsifi Phalanx, September, 12, 1844.
" Our first company, consisting of about twenty men,
arrived here and commenced improvements on the 27th
of May last. We put in about twenty acres of spring
crops, mostly potatoes, buckwheat, turnips, etc,, and
have now one hundred acres of winter wheat in the
ground. We have erected three buildings (designed for
wings to a large one to be erected this fall), in which
there are about twenty families snugly stored, yet com-
fortable and happy and busy, comprising in all about
eighty persons, men, women, and children. We have
also erected a saw-mill, which will be ready to run
in a few days, after which we shall proceed to erect
better dwellings. We do all our cooking in one kitchen,
and all eat at one table. All our labor (excepting a part
of female labor, on which there is a reduction), is for the
present deemed in the class of usefulness, and every
member works as well as possible where he or she is
most needed, under the general superintendence of the
directors. We adhere strictly to our constitution and
by-laws, and adopt as fast as possible the system of
Fourier. We have organized our groups and series in a
simple manner, and thus far every thing goes admirably,
and much better than we could have expected in our em-
bryo state. We have regular meetings for business and
social purposes, by which means we keep a harmony of
feeling and concert of action. We have a Sunday-school,
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 415
Bible-class, and Divine service every Sabbath by differ-
ent denominations, who occupy the Hall (as we have but
one) alternately ; and all is harmony in that department,
although we have many members of different religious
societies. They all seem determined to lay aside meta-
physical differences, and make a united social effort,
founded on the fundamental principles of religion.
" Warren Chase."
[From a letter in the Ohio Aiii"r,'cnn, August, 1845.]
" I wish, through the medium of your columns, to
correct a statement which has been going the rounds of
the newspapers in this vicinity and in other parts, that
the Wisconsin Phalanx has failed and dispersed. I am
prepared to state, upon the authority of a letter from
their Secretary, dated July 31, 1845, ^^^^ the report is
entirely without foundation. They have never been in
a more prosperous condition, and the utmost harmony
prevails. They are moving forward under a charter ;
own two thousand acres of fine land, with water-power ;
twenty-nine yoke of oxen, thirty-seven cows, and a
corresponding amount of other stock, such as horses,
hogs, sheep, etc. ; are putting in four hundred acres of
wheat this fall; have just harvested one hundred acres
of the best of wheat, fifty-seven acres of oats, and other
grains in proportion. They have been organized a little
more than a year, and embrace in their number about
thirty families.
" One very favorable feature in this institution is, that
they are entirely out of debt, and intend to remain so ;
they do not owe, and are determined never to owe, a
single dollar. An excellent free school is provided for
all the members ; and as they have no idle gentlemen
4l6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
or ladies to support, all have time to receive a good
education."
[From a letter of Warren Chase.]
" Wisconsin Phalanx, August, 13, 1845.
" We are Associationists of the Fourier school, and
intend to reduce his system to practice as fast as possi-
ble, consistently with our situation. We number at this
time about one hundred and eighty souls, being the
entire population of the congressional township. We
are under the township government, organized similar to
the system in New York. Our town was set off and
organized last winter by the Legislature, at which time
the Association was also incorporated as a joint-stock
company by a charter, which is our constitution. We
had a post-office and weekly mail within forty days
after our commencement. Thus far we have obtained
all we have asked for.
" We have religious meetings and Sabbath-schools,
conducted by members of some half-a-dozen different
denominations of Christians, with whom creeds and
modes of faith are of minor importance compared with
religion. All are protected, and all is harmony in that
department. We have had no deaths and very little
sickness. No physician, no lawyer or preacher, yet
resides among us ; but we expect a physician soon,
whose interest will not conflict with ours, and whose
presence will consequently not increase disease. In
politics we are about equally divided, and vote accord-
ingly ; but generally believe both parties culpable for
many of the political evils of the day.
" The Phalanx has a title from Government to fourteen
hundred and forty acres of land, on which there is one
of the best of water-powers, a saw-mill in operation
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 417
and a grist-mill building ; six hundred and forty acres
under improvement, four hundred of which is now seed-
ing to winter wheat. We raised about fifteen hundred
bushels the past season, which is sufficient for our next
year's bread ; have about seventy acres of corn on the
ground, which looks well, and other crops in proportion.
We have an abundance of cattle, horses, crops and pro-
visions for the wants of our present numbers, and
physical energy enough to obtain more. Thus, you see,
we are tolerably independent ; and we intend to remain
so, as we admit none as members who have not
sufficient funds to invest in stock, or sufficient physical
strength, to warrant their not being a burden to the
society. We have one dwelling-house nearly finished,
in which reside twenty families, with a long hall conduct-
ing to the dining-room, where all who are able, dine
together. We intend next summer to erect another
for twenty families more, with a hall conducting to
another dining-room, supplied from the same cook-room.
We have one school constantly, but have as yet been
unable to do much toward improving that department,
and had hoped to see something in the Harbinger which
would be a guide in this branch of our organization.
We look to the Brook Farm Phalanx for instruction in
this branch, and hope to see it in the Harbinger for the
benefit of ourselves and other Associations.
" We have a well-regulated system of grouping our
laborers, but have not yet organized the series. We
have no difficulty in any department of our business,
and thus far more than our most sanguine expectations
have been realized. We commenced with a determina-
tion to avoid all debts, and have thus far adhered to our
resolution ; for we believed debts would disband more
41 8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Associations than any other one cause ; and thus far, I
believe it has, more than all other causes put together.
" Warren Chase."
From the Annual Statement of the Condition and Progress of the Wis-
consin Phalanx, for the fiscal year ending December i, 1845.
" The four great evils with which the world is afflicted,
intoxication, lawsuits, quarreling, and profane swearing,
never have, and with the present character and prevail-
ing habits of our members, never can, find admittance
into our society. There is but a very small proportion
of the tattling, backbiting and criticisms on character,
usually found in neighborhoods of as many families.
Perfect harmony and concert of action prevail among
the members of the various churches, and each indi-
vidual seems to lay aside creeds, and strive for the
fundamental principles of religion. Many have culti-
vated the social feeling by the study and practice of
vocal and instrumental music. In this there is a constant
progress visible. Our young gentlemen and ladies have
occasionally engaged in cotillions, especially on wedding
occasions, of which we have had three the past summer.
" Our convenience for schools, their diminished ex-
pense, &c., is known only to those acquainted with
Association. We have done but little in perfecting this
branch of our new organization ; but having erected a
school-house, we are prepared to commence our course
of moral, physical and intellectual education. For want
of a convenient place, we have not yet opened our read-
ing-room or library, but intend to do so during the
present month.
" The family circle and secret domestic relations; are
not intruded on by Association ; each family may gather
around its family altar, secluded and alone, or mingle
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 4I9
with neighbors without exposure to wet or cold. In our
social and domestic arrangements we have approximated
as far toward the plan of Fourier, as the difficulties in-
cident to a new organization in an uncultivated country
would permit. Owing to our infant condition and wish
to live within our means, our public table has not been
furnished as elegantly as might be desirable to an epi-
curean taste. From the somewhat detached nature of
our dwellings, and the consequent inconveniencies
attendant on all dining at one table, permission was
given to such families as chose, to be furnished with
provisions and cook their own board. But one family
has availed itself of this privilege.
" In the various departments of physical labor, we
have accomplished much more than could have been
done by the same persons in the isolated condition. We
have broken and brought under cultivation, three hun-
dred and twenty-five acres of land ; have sown four
hundred acres to winter wheat ; harvested the hundred
acres which we had on the ground last fall ; plowed one
hundred and seventy acres for crops the ensuing spring ;
raised sixty acres of corn, twenty of potatoes, twenty of
buckwheat, and thirty of peas, beans, roots, etc. ; built
five miles of fence ; cut four hundred tons of hay; and
expended a large amount of labor in teaming, building
sheds, taking care of stock, etc.
" We have nearly finished the long building com-
menced last year (two hundred and eight feet by thirty-
two), making comfortable residences for twenty families ;
built a stone school-house, twenty by thirty ; a dining-
room eighteen by thirty ; finished one of the twenty-by-
thirty dwellings built last year ; expended about two
hundred days' labor digging a race and foundation for a
420 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
grist-mill thirty by forty, three stories high, and for a
shop twenty by twenty-five, one story, with stone base-
ments to both, and erected frames for the same ;
built a wash-house sixty by twenty-two; a henhouse
eleven by thirty, of sun-dried brick ; an ash-house ten
by twenty, of the same material ; kept one man
employed in the saw-mill, one drawing logs, one in the
blacksmith shop, one shoe-making, and most of the time
two about the kitchen.
" The estimated value of our property on hand is
$27,725.22, wholly unincumbered ; and we are free from
debt, except about $600 due to members, who have
advanced cash for the purchase of provisions and land.
But to balance this, we have over $ 1,000 coming from
members, on stock subscriptions not yet due.
" The whole number of hours' labor performed by the
members during the past year, reduced to the class of
usefulness, is 102,760 ; number expended in cooking, etc.,
and deducted for the board of members, 21,170 ; number
remaining after deducting for board, 81,590, to which
the amount due to labor is divided. In this statement
the washing is not taken into account, families having
done their own.
" Whole number of weeks board charged members
(including children graduated to adults) forty-two hun-
dred and thirty-four. Cost of board per week for each
person, forty-four cents for provisions, and five hours
labor.
" Whole amount of property on hand, as per invoice,
$27,725.22. Cost of property and stock issued up to
December i, $ 19,589. 18. Increase the past year, being
the product of labor, etc., $8,136.04; one-fourth of
which, or $2,034.01, is credited to capital, being twelve
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 421
per cent, per annum on stock, for the average time in-
vested; and tliree-foLirths, or $6, 102.03 to labor, being
seven and one-half cents per hour.
"The property on hand consists of the following items:
1,553 acres of land, at $3.00 $4,659.00
Agricultural improvements 1,522.47
Mechanical improvements 8,405.00
Personal property 10,314.01
Advanced members in board, etc 2,824.74
Amount $27,725.22
" W. Chase, President."
[From a letter of Warren Chase,]
Wisconsin Phalanx, March 3, 1846.
" Since our December statement, our course and
progress has been undeviatingly onward toward the goal.
We have added eighty acres to our land, making one
thousand six hundred and thirty-three acres free of
incumbrance. We are preparing to raise eight hundred
acres of crops the coming season, finish our grist-mill,
and build some temporary residences, etc. We have
admitted but one family since the ist of December,
although we have had many applications. In this
department of our organization, as well as in that
of contracting debts, we are profiting by the experi-
ence of many Associations who preceded or started
with us.
"We pretend to have considerable knowledge of the
serial law, but we are not yet prepared, mentally or
physically, to adopt it in our industrial operations. We
have something in operation which approaches about as
near to it as the rude hut does to the palace. Even this
422 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
is better than none, and saves us from the merciless
peltings of the storm.
" Success with us is no longer a matter of doubt.
Our questions to be settled are, How far and how fast
can we adopt arid put in practice the system and princi-
ple which we believe to be true, without endangering or
retarding our ultimate object. We feel and know that
our condition and prospects are truly cheering, and to
the friends of the cause we can say, Come on, not to join
us, but to form other Associations ; for we can not re-
ceive one-tenth of those who apply for admission. Noth-
ing but the general principles of Association are lawful
tender with us. Money will not buy admission for those
who have no faith in the principles, but who merely be-
lieve, as most of our neighbors do, that we shall get
rich ; this is not a ruling principle here. With our ma-
terial, our means, and the principles of eternal truth on
our side, success is neither doubtful nor surprising.
We expect at our next annual statement, to be able to
represent ourselves as a minimum Association of forty
families, not fully organized on Fourier's plan, but
approaching to, and preparing for it. W. Chase."
PVom the Annual Statement of the Condition and Progress of the Wis-
consin Phalanx, for the fiscal year ending December 7, 1846.
"The study and adoption of the principles of indus-
trial Association, liave here, as elsewhere, led all reflect-
ing minds to acknowledge the principles of Christianity,
and to seek through those principles the elevation of
man to his true condition, a state of harmony with
himself, with nature and with God. The Society have
religious preaching of some kind almost every Sabbath,
but not uniformly of that high order of talent which
they are prepared to appreciate.
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 423
" The educational department is not yet regulated as
it is designed to be ; the Society have been too busily
engaged in making such improvements as were required
to supply the necessaries of life, to devote the means
and labor necessary to prepare such buildings as are re-
quired. We have not yet established our reading-room
and library, more for the want of room, than for a lack
of materials.
" The social intercourse between the members has
ever been conducted with a high-toned moral feeling,
which repudiates the slanderous suspicions of those ene-
mies of the system, who pretend that the constant social
intercourse will corrupt the morals of the members ; the
tendency is directly the reverse.
" We have now one hundred and eighty resident mem-
bers ; one hundred and one males, seventy-nine females ;
fifty-six males and thirty-seven females over the age of
twenty-one years. About eighty have boarded at a
public table during the past year, at a cost of fifty cents
per week and two and a half hours' labor ; whole cost
sixty-three cents. The others, most of the time, have
had their provisions charged to them, and done their
own cooking in their respective families, although their
apartments are very inconvenient for that purpose.
Most of the families choose this mode of living, more
from previous habits of domestic arrangement and con-
venience, than from economy. We have resident on the
domain, thirty-six families and thirty single persons ;
fifteen families and thirty single persons board at the
public table: twenty-one families board by themselves,
and the remaining five single persons board with them.
" Four families have left during the past year, and one
returned that had previously left. One left to commence
424 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
a new Association : one, after a few weeks' residence,
because the children did not Uke ; and two to seek other
business more congenial with their feelings than hard
work. The Society has increased its numbers the past
year about twenty, which is not one-fourth of the
applicants. The want of room has prevented us from
admitting more.
" There has been 96,297 hours' medium class labor
performed during the past year (mostly by males), which,
owing to the extremely low appraisal of property, and
the disadvantage of having a new farm to work on, has
paid but five cents per hour, and six per cent, per
annum on capital.
"The amount of property in joint-stock, as per
valuation, is $ 30,609.04 ; whole amount of liabilities,
$ 1,095.33. The net product or income for the past
year is ^6,341.84, one-fourth of which being credited to
capital, makes the six per cent. ; and three-fourths to
labor, makes the five cents per hour. We have, as yet,
no machinery in operation except a saw-mill, but have a
grist-mill nearly ready to commence grinding. Our
wheat crop came in very light, which, together with the
large amount of labor necessarily expended in temporary
sheds and fences, which are not estimated of any value,
makes our dividend much less than it will be when we
can construct more permanent works. We have also
many unfinished works, which do not yet afford us either
income or convenience, but which will tell favorably on
our future balance-sheets.
" The Society has advanced to the members during
the past year S 3,293, mostly in provisions and such
necessary clothing as could be procured.
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 425
" The following schedule shows in what the property
of the Society consists, and its valuation :
1,713 acres of land, at $3.00 $5,139.00
Agricultural improvements 3,206.00
Agricultural products 4,806.76
Shops, dwellings, and out-houses .... 6,963.61
Mills, mill-race and dam 5,112.90
Cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, &c 3,098.45
Farming tools, &c 1,199.36
Mechanical tools, &c 367.26
Other personal property 7i5-7o
Amount $30,609.04
" W. Chase, President."
In the Harbinger of March 27, 1847, there is a letter
from Warren Chase giving eighteen elaborate reasons
why the Fourierists throughout the country should con-
centrate on the Wisconsin, and make it a great model
Phalanx ; which we omit.
[From a letter of Warren Chase.]
" Wisconsin Phalanx, yune 28, 1847.
" We have now been a little more than three years in
operation, and my most sanguine expectations have been
more than realized. We have about one hundred and
seventy persons, who, with the exception of three or four
families, are contented and happy, and more attached
to this home than to any they ever had before. Those
three or four belong to the restless, discontented spirits,
who are not satisfied with any condition of life, but are
always seeking something new. The Phalanx will soon
be in a condition to adopt the policy of purchasing
the amount of stock which any member may have
invested, whenever he shall wish to leave. As soon as
426 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
this can be done without embarrassing our business, we
shall hav^e surmounted the last obstacle to our onward
progress. We have applications for admission constantly
before us, but seldom admit one. We require larger
amounts to be invested now when there is no risk, than
we did at first when the risk was great. We have borne
the heat and burden of the day, and now begin to reap
the fruits of our labor. We also must know that an
applicant is devoted to the cause, ready to endure for it
hardships, privations and persecution, if necessary, and
that he is not induced to apply because he sees our phy-
sical or pecuniary prosperity. We shall admit such as,
in our view, are in all respects prepared for Association
and can be useful to themselves and us ; but none but
practical workingmen need apply, for idlers can not live
here. They seem to be out of their element, and look
sick and lean. If no accident befalls us, we shall declare
a cash dividend at our next annual settlement.
" W. Chase."
[From a letter in the New York Tribune.\
" Wisconsin Phalanx, yuly 20, 1847.
"I have been visiting this Association several days,
looking into its resources, both physical and moral. Its
physical resources are abundant. In a moral aspect
there is much here to encourage. The people, ninety
of whom are adults, are generally quite intelligent, and
possess a good development of the moral and social
faculties. They are earnest inquirers after truth, and
seem aware of the harmony of thought and feeling that
must prevail to insure prosperity. They receive thirty
or forty different publications, which are thoroughly
perused. The females are excellent women, and the
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 42/
children, about eighty, are most promising in every
respect. They are not yet well situated for carrying
into effect all the indispensable agencies of true mental
development, but they are not idle on this momentous
subject. They have an excellent school for the children,
and the young men and women are cultivating music.
Two or three among them are adepts in this beautiful
art. While writing, I hear good music by well-trained
voices, with the Harmonist accompaniment.
" I do believe something in human improvement and
enjoyment will soon be presented at Ceresco, that will
charm all visitors, and prove a conclusive argument
against the skepticism of the world as to the capability
of the race to rise above the social evils that afflict man-
kind, and to attain a mental elevation which few have
yet hoped for. I expect to see here a garden in which
shall be represented all that is most beautiful in the
vegetable kingdom. I expect to see here a library and
reading-room, neatly and plentifully furnished, to which
rejoicing hundreds will resort for instruction and
amusement. I expect to see here a laboratory, where
the chemist will unfold the operations of nature, and
teach the most profitable mode of applying agricul-
tural labor. I expect to see here interesting cabinets,
where the mineral and animal kingdoms will be pre-
sented in miniature. And I expect to see all the arts
cultivated, and every thing beautiful and grand generally
appreciated. Hine."
On which the editor of the Tribune observes : " We
trust the remark will be taken in good part, that the
writers of letters from these Associative experiments
are too apt to blend what they desire or hope to see, with
what they actually do see."
428 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
[From a letter of J. J. Cooke in the Tribune.]
" Wiscojtsin Phalanx, August 28, 1847.
"Editor of the Netv York Tribicne >
"Dear Sir: I have just perused in your paper, a
letter from Mr. Hine, dated at this place. Believing
that the letter is calculated to leave an erroneous im-
pression on the mind of the reader, as to the true
condition of this Association, I deem it to be my duty
to notice it, for the reason of the importance of the
subject, and the necessity of true knowledge in reference
to correct action.
" It is now twelve days since I arrived here, with the
intention of making a visit sufficiently long to arrive at
something like a critical knowledge of the experiment
now in progress in this place. As you justly remark
in your comments on Mr. Hine's letter, 'the writers of
letters from these associative experiments are too apt
to blend what they desire or hope to see, with what they
actually do see.' So far as such a course might tend to
induce premature and ill-advised attempts at practical
Association, it should be regarded as a serious evil, and
as such, should, if possible, be remedied. I presume
no one here would advise the commencement of any
Association, to pass through the same trials which they
themselves have experienced. I have asked many of
the members this question, ' Do you think that the
reports and letters which have been published respecting
your Association, have been so written as to leave a
correct impression of your real existing condition on
the mind of the reader .' ' The answer has invariably
been, ' No.' "
The writer then criticises the water-power, climate,
etc., and proceeds to say :
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 429
"The probability now is, that corn will be almost a
total failure. 'Their present tenements,' says Mr. Hine,
' are such as haste and limited means forced them to
erect.' This is undoubtedly true, and I will also add,
that they are such as few at the East would be contented
to live in. With the exception of the flouring-mill,
blacksmith's-shop and carpenter's-shop, there are no
arrangements for mechanical industry. This is not
surprising, in view of the small means in their posses-
sion. 'In a moral aspect,' Mr. Hine says, 'there is
much to encourage.' It would not be incorrect to say,
that there is also something to fear. The most un-
pleasant feelings which I have experienced since I have
been here, have been caused by the want of neatness
around the dwellings, which seems to be inconsistent
with the individual character of the members with
whom I have become acquainted. This they state to be
owing to their struggles for the necessaries of life ; but
I have freely told them that I considered it inexcusable,
and calculated to have an injurious influence upon
themselves and upon their children. 'They are earnest
inquirers after truth,' says Mr. Hine, 'and seem aware
of the harmony of thought and feeling that must pre-
vail, in order to insure prosperity.' This I only object
to so far as it is calculated to produce the impression
that such harmony really exists. That there is a differ-
ence of feeling upon, at least, one important point, I
know. This is in reference to the course to be pursued
in relation to the erection of dwellings. I believe that
a large majority are in favor of building only in refer-
ence to a combined dwelling ; but there are some who
think that this generation are not prepared for it, and
who wish to erect comfortable dwellings for isolated
430 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
households. A portion of the members go out to
labor for hire ; some, in order to procure those neces-
saries which the means of the Association have been
inadequate to provide ; and others, for want of occu-
pation in their peculiar branches of industry. Mr.
Hine says, 'They have an- excellent school for the
children.' I had thought that the proper education of
the children was a want here, and members have spoken
of it as such. They have no public library or reading-
room for social re-union, excepting the school-room ;
and no room which is convenient for such purposes.
There are no Associational guarantees in reference to
sickness or disability in the charter (which is the con-
stitution) of this Phalanx.
"From the above statement, you can judge somewhat
of the present foundation of Mr. Hine's hopss of 'soon'
seeing the realization of the beautiful picture which he
has drawn. Joseph J. Cooke."
In the Harbinger of January 8, 1848, Warren Chase
replied to Mr. Cooke's criticisms, admitting the general
truth of them, but insisting that it is unfair to judge the
Association by eastern standards. In conclusion he
says :
" There is a difference of opinion in regard to board,
which, under the law of freedom and attraction, works
no harm. Most of our families cook their board in their
rooms from choice under present circumstances ; some
because they use no meat and do not choose to sit at a
table plentifully supplied with beef, pork and mutton :
others because they choose to have their children sit at
the table with them, to regulate their diet, etc., which
our circumstances will not yet permit at our public
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 43 1
table ; others because they want to ask a blessing, etc. ;
and others because their manner of cooking and habits
of living have become so fixed as to have sufficient
influence to require their continuance. Some of our
members think all these difficulties can not be speedily
removed, and that cheap and comfortable dwellings,
should be built, adapted to our circumstances, with a
unitary work-house, bakery and dairy, by which the
burdens should be removed as fast as possible, and the
minds prepared by combined effort, co-operative labor,
and equitable distribution, for the combined dwelling
and unitary living, with its variety of tables to satisfy all
tastes. Others think our devotion to the cause ought to
induce us to forego all these attachments and prejudices,
and -board at one table and improve it, building none
but unitary dwellings adapted to a unitary table. We
pursue both ways in our living with perfect freedom, and
probably shall in our building ; for attraction is the only
law whose force we acknowledge in these matters. We
have passed one more important point in our progress
since I last wrote you. We have adopted the policy to
refund all investments to any member when he chooses
to leave. W. Chase."
[From a letter of Warren Chase.]
" Wisconsin Phalanx, August 21, 1847.
" We are in the enjoyment of an excellent state of
health, owing in part to our healthy location, and in part
to the diet and regimen of our members. There is a
prevailing tendency here to abandon the use of animal
food ; it has been slowly, but steadily increasing for
some time, and has been aided some by those excellent
and interesting articles from the pen of Dr. Lazarus
432 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
on ' Cannibalism.' When we have to resort to any
medical treatment, hydropathy is the system, and the
Water-cure yournal very good authority. Our society
will soon evince symptoms of two conditions of Asso-
ciative life, viz. : physical health and material wealth.
By wealth I do not mean burdensome property, but an
ample supply of the necessaries of life, which is real
wealth.
" I fully believe that nine out of ten organizations
and attempts at Association would finally succeed, even
with small means and few members, if they would ad-
here strictly to the following conditions :
" First, keep free from debt, and live within their
means ; Second, not attempt too much in the com-
mencement.
"Great changes require a slow movement. All
pioneers should remember to be constructive, and not
merely destructive ; not to tear down faster than they
can substitute something better. Every failure of Asso-
ciation which has come to my knowledge, has been in
consequence of disregarding these conditions ; they have
all been in debt, and depended on stock subscriptions
to relieve them ; and they have attempted too much.
Having, in most cases, torn down the isolated house-
hold and family altar (or table), before they had
even science enough to draft a plan of a Phalanstery
or describe a unitary hor^sehold, they seemed in some
cases to imagine that the true social science, when
once discovered, would furnish them, like the lamp
of Aladdin, with all things wished for. They have
awakened from their dreams ; and now is the time for
practical attempts, to start with, first, the joint-stock
property, the large farm or township, the common home
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 433
and joint property of all the members; second, coopera-
tive labor and the equitable distribution of products, the
large fields, large pastures, large gardens, large dairies,
large fruit orchards, etc., with their mills, mechanic
shops, stores, common wash-houses, bake-houses, baths,
libraries, lectures, cabinets, etc. ; third, educational or-
ganization, including all, both children and adults, and
through that the adoption of the serial law, organiza-
tion of groups and series ; (at this point labor, without
reference to the pay, will begin to be attractive ;)
fourth, the Phalansterian order, unitary living. As this
is the greatest step, it requires the most time, most
capital, and most mental preparation, especially for per-
sons accustomed to country life. In most cases many
years will be required for the adoption of the second
of these conditions, and more for the third, and still
more for the fourth. Hence the necessity of com-
mencing, if the present generation is to realize much
from the discovery of the science.
" Let no person construe these remarks to indicate an
advanced state of Association for the Wisconsin Pha-
lanx. We have taken the first step, which required but
little time, and are now barely commencing the second.
We have spent three years, and judging from our pro-
gress thus far, it will doubtless take us from five to ten
more to get far enough in the second to commence the
third. We have made many blunders for the want of
precedents, and in consequence of having more zeal than
knowledge. Among the most serious blunders was an
attempt at unitary living, without any of the surround-
ing circumstances being adapted to it. With this view
we built, at a cost of more than $ 3,000, a long double
front building, which can not be ventilated, and is very
434 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
uncomfortable and extremely inconvenient for families
to live in and do their cooking. But in this, bad as it
is, some twenty of our families are still compelled to
live, and will be for some time to come. This, with
some other mistakes, will be to us a total loss, for the
want of more knowledge to commence with. But these
are trifling in comparison with the importance of our
object and the result for a series of years. No true
Associationist has been discouraged by these trials and
losses ; but we have a few among us who never were
Associationists, and who are waiting a favorable oppor-
tunity to return to civilization ; and we are waiting a
favorable opportunity to admit such as we want to fill
their places. W. Chase."
From the Annual Statement of the Condition and Progress of the Wis-
consin Phalan.\, for the fiscal year ending December 6, 1847.
"The number of resident members is one hundred and
fifty-seven ; eighty-four males and se\-enty-three females.
Thirty-two males and thirty-nine females are under
twenty-one years, fifty-two males and thirty-four females
over twenty-one years, and eighteen persons above the
age of twenty-one unmarried. The whole number of
resident families is thirty-two. We have resident with
us who are not members, one family and four single per-
sons. Four families and two single persons have left
during the year, the stock of all of whom has been pur-
chased, except of one family, and a single person ; the
former intends returning, and the latter owns but $ 25.00.
" The number of hours' labor performed during the
year, reduced to the medium class, is 93,446. The
whole amount of property at the appraisal is $32,564.18.
The net profits of the year are 1^9,029.73 ; which gives
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 435
a dividend to stock of nearly 7 3-4 per cent., and 7 3-10
cents per hour to labor.
" The Phalanx has purchased and cancelled during
the year $ 2,000 of stock ; we have also, by the assist-
ance of our mill (which has been in operation since
June), and from our available products, paid off the
incumbrance of $1,095.33 with which we commenced
the year ; made our mechanical and agricultural im-
provements, and advanced to members, in rent, pro-
visions, clothing, cash, etc., $5,237.07. The annexed
schedule specifies the kinds and valuation of the prop-
erty on hand :
1,713 acres of land at $3.00 $5,139.00
Agricultural improvements 3)5o9-77
Agricultural products 5,244.16
Mechanical improvements 12,520.00
Live stock 2,983.50
Farm and garden tools 1,219.77
Mechanical tools 380.56
Personal property, miscellaneous . . . 1,567.42
Amount $32,564.18
"Benj. Wright, President."
In June, 1848, Warren Chase sent a letter to the
Boston Investigator, complaining of the Harbinger s
indifference to the interests of the Wisconsin Phalanx ;
and another writer in the Investigator suggested that
this indifterence was on account of the irreligious
character of the Phalanx ; all of which the Harbinger
denied. To the charge of irreligion, a member of the
Phalanx indignantly replied in the Harbinger, as follows:
"Some of us are and have been Methodists, Baptists,
Presbyterians, Congregationalists, etc. Others have
436 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
never been members of any church, but (with a very
few exceptions) very readily admit the authenticity and
moral value of the Scriptures. The ten commandments
are the sum, substance and foundation of all true law.
Add to this the gospel law of love, and you have a code
of laws worthy of the adoption and practice of any man
or set of men, and upon which Associationists must
base themselves, or they can never succeed. There are
many rules, doctrines and interpretations of Scripture
among the (so denominated) Orthodox churches, that
any man of common sense can not assent to. Even
they can not agree among themselves ; for instance the
Old and New School Presbyterians, the Baptists,
Methodists, etc. If this difference of faith and opinion
is infidelity or irreligion, we to a man are infidels and
irreligious ; but if faith in the principles and morality
of the Bible is the test, I deny the charge I can
scarcely name an individual here that dissents from them.
" I have been a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church for about twenty years, and a Methodist local
preacher for over three years, and am now Secretary of
the Association. I therefore should know somewhat
about this matter."
[From the New York Trlbiiuc, July, 1848.]
"Wisconsin Phalanx. — Having lately seen running
around the papers a statement that the last remaining
'Fourier Association,' somewhere in Illinois, had just
given up the ghost, we gladly give place to the following
extracts from a private letter we have just received from
a former fellow citizen, who participated in two of the
earlier attempts (Sylvan ia and Leraysville) to establish
something that ultimately would or might become an
Association after the idea of Fourier. After the second
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 43/
failure he attached himself to the communistic under-
taking near Skaneateles, New York, and when this too
ran aground, he went back perforce to the cut-throat
system of civilized competition. But this had become
unendurably hateful to him, and he soon struck off for
Ceresco, and became a member of the Wisconsin
Phalanx at that place, whereof he has now for some
months been a resident. Of this Association he writes:
" I have worked in the various groups side by side
with the members, and I have never seen a more perse-
vering, practical, matter-of-fact body of people in any
such movement. Since I came here last fall, I see a
great improvement, both externally and internally. Mr.
Van Amringe, the energetic herald of national and social
reform, did a good work by his lectures here last winter ;
and the meetings statedly held for intellectual and social
improvement, have an excellent effect. All now indi-
cates unity and fraternity. The Phalanx has erected
and enclosed a new unitary dwelling, one hundred feet
long, two stories high, with a spacious kitchen, belfry,
etc. They have burnt a lime-kiln, and are burning a
brick-kiln of one hundred thousand bricks as an experi-
ment, and they bid fair to be first-rate. All this has
been accomplished this spring in addition to their agri-
cultural and horticultural operations. Their water-power
is small, being supplied from springs, which the drought
of the last three seasons has sensibly affected. In add-
ing to their machinery, they will have to resort to steam.
" The location is healthy and pleasant. The atmos-
phere is uniformly pure, and a good breeze is generally
blowing. I doubt whether another site could be found
combining so many natural advantages. I have visited
nearly all the associative experiments in the country.
438 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
and I like this the best. I think it already beyond the
possibility of failure. d. s."
Mr. Van Amringe spent considerable time at Ceresco,
and sent several elaborate articles in favor of the Pha-
lanx to the Harbinger. One of the members wrote to
him as follows :
" Since you left here a great change has taken place
in the feelings and tastes of the members, and that too
for the better. You will recollect the black and dirty
appearance of the buildings, and the wood-work inside
scrubbed until it had the appearance of a dirty white.
About the first of May they made a grand rally to alter
the appearance of things. The long building was white-
washed inside and out, and the wood-work of nearly all
the houses has been painted. The school-house has
been white-washed and painted, the windows white, the
panels of the wood-work a light yellow, carvings around
a light blue, the seats and desks a light blue ; this has
made a great change in its appearance. You will recol-
lect the frame of a new building that stood looking so
distressed ; about as much more was added to it, and all
covered and neatly painted. The corridor is now fin-
ished ; a handsome good kitchen has been put up in the
rear of the old one, with a bakery underneath ; a beau-
tiful cupola is on the top, in which is placed a small bell,
weighing one hundred and two pounds, about the size
of a steamboat bell ; it can be heard on the prairie.
The blinds in the cupola windows are painted green.
Were you to see the place now you would be surprised,
and agreeably so, too. Some four or five have left since
spring ; new members have been taken in their stead,
and a good exchange, I think, has been made. Two or
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 439
three tailors, and the same number of shoemakers, are
expected shortly."
From the Annual Statement of the Condition and progress of the Wis-
consin Phalan.x, for the fiscal year ending December 4, 1848.
"Religious meetings are sustained by us every Sab-
bath, in which the largest liberty is extended to all in the
search for truth. In the educational department we do
no more than sustain a common school ; but are waiting,
anxiously waiting, for the time when our condition will
justify a more extended operation. In the absence of a
reading-room and library, one of our greatest facilities
for knowledge and general information is afforded by a
great number and variety of newspapers and periodical
publications, an interchange of which gives advantages
in advance of the isolated family. The number of resi-
dent members is one hundred and twenty, viz. : sixty-
three males and fifty-seven females. The number of
resident families is twenty-nine. We have resident with
us, who are not members, one family and twelve single
persons. Six families and three single persons have
left during the year, a part of whose stock we have
purchased. We have lost by death the past year seven
persons, viz. : one married lady (by consumption), one
child two years of age, and five infants. The health of
the members has been good, with the exception of a few
cases of remittent and billions fevers. The Phalanx has
sustained a public boarding-house the past year, at
which the majority of the members have boarded at a
cost not exceeding seventy-five cents per week. The
remaining families board at their own apartments.
" The number of hours' labor performed during the
year, reduced to the medium class, is 97,036. The whole
amount of property at the appraisal, is $33,527.77. The
440 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
net profits of the year are, ^ 8,077.02 ; which gives a
dividend to stock of 6 1-4 per cent., and 6 1-4 cents per
hour to labor. The annexed schedule specifies the kinds
and valuation of property on hand :
Real estate 1,793 acres at $ 3.00 • • • . $5,379.00
Live Stock 3,117.00
Mechanical tools 1,866.34
Farming tools 1,250.75
Mechanical improvements 14,655.00
Agricultural improvements 2,298.90
" products 3,161.56
Garden products 1,006.13
Miscellaneous property 793-09
Total amount 533)527-77
" S. Bates, President."
The following anonymous summary, well written and
evidently authentic, is taken from Macdonald's collection:
[History of the Wisconsin Phalanx, by a member.]
"In the winter of 1843 — 4 there was considerable
excitement in the village of Southport, Wisconsin (now
Kenosha City), on the subject of Association. The
subject was taken up with much feeling and interest
at the village lyceum and in various public meetings.
Among the advocates of Association were a few persons
who determined in the spring of 1844 to make a prac-
tical experiment. For that purpose a constitution was
drawn up, and a voluntary Association formed, which
styled itself 'The Wisconsin Phalanx.' As the move-
ment began to ripen into action, the friends fell off, and
the circle narrowed down from about seventy to twenty
persons. This little band was composed mostly of men
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 44I
with small means, sturdy constitutions, below the middle
age, and full of energy ; men who had been poor, and
had learned early to buffet with the antagonisms of
civilization ; not highly cultivated in the social and
intellectual faculties, but more so in the moral and
industrial.
"They raised about $ i,ooo in money, which they sent
to the land-office at Green Bay, and entered a tract of
land selected by their committee, in a congressional
township in the north-west corner of Fond du Lac
County, a township six miles square, without a single
inhabitant, and with no settlement within twenty miles,
except a few scattered families about Green Lake.
"With teams, stock, tents, and implements of hus-
bandry and mechanism, they repaired to this spot in the
latter part of May 1844, a distance of about one hundred
and twenty-five miles from their homes, and commenced
building and breaking up land, etc. They did not erect
a log house, but split out of the tongh burr and white
oak of the 'openings,' shingles, clapboards, floors,
frames and all the materials of a house, and soon pre-
pared a shelter. Their families were then moved on
Late in the fall a saw-mill was built, and every thing
prepared as well as could be for the winter. Their
dwellings would have been unendurable at other times
and under other circumstances ; but at this time zeal,
energy, excitement and hope kept them from complain-
ing. Their land, which was subsequently increased to
1,800 acres, mostly at ^1.25 per acre, consisted of
'openings,' prairie and timber, well watered, and with
several small water-powers on the tract ; a fertile soil,
with as healthy a climate as could be found in the
Western States.
442 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" It was agreed to name the new town Ceresco, and a
post-office was applied for under that name, and ob-
tained. One of the members always held the office of
post-master, until the administration of General Taylor,
when the office was removed about three-quarters of a
mile to a rival village. In the winter of 1844 — 5, the
Association asked the Legislature to organize their
town, which was readily done under the adopted name.
A few settlers had by this time moved into the town
(which, owing to the large proportion of prairie, was not
rapidly settled), and in the spring they held their elec-
tion. Every officer chosen was a member of the
society, and as they were required to elect Justices and
had no need of any, they chose the three oldest men.
From that time until the dissolution of the society
nearly every town-office of importance was filled by its
members. They had also one of their members in both
Constitutional Conventions of the State, and three
in the State Senate for one term of two sessions.
Subsequently one of their members was a candidate for
Governor, receiving more votes in his town than both
of the other candidates together ; but only a small vote
in the State, as he was the free-soil candidate.
" The Association drew up and prepared a charter or
act of incorporation upon which they agreed, and
applied to the Legislature for its passage ; which was
granted ; and thus they became a body corporate and
politic, known in the land as the ' Wisconsin Phalanx.'
All the business was done in accordance with and under
this charter, until the property was divided and the
whole affair closed up. One clause in the charter
prohibited the sale of the land. This was subsequently
altered at the society's request, in an amendatory act in
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 443
the session of 1849 — 5°' ^^^ ^^^ purpose of allowing
them to divide their property.
" In the spring of 1845, ^^^^ their organization under
the charter, they had considerable accession to their
numbers, and might have had greater ; but were very
careful about admitting new members, and erred very
much in making a property qualification. About this
time {1845) a question of policy arose among the mem-
bers, the decision of which is supposed by many good
judges to have been the principal cause of the ultimate
division and dissolution ; it was, whether the dwellings
should be built in unitary blocks adapted to a common
boarding-house, or in isolated style, adapted to the
separate family and single living. It was decided by a
small majority to pursue the unitary plan, and this
policy was persisted in until there was a division of
property. Whether this was the cause of failure or not,
it induced many of the best members to leave ; and
although it might have been the true policy under other
circumstances and for other persons, in this case it was
evidently wrong, for the members were not socially
developed sufficiently to maintain such close relations.
Notwithstanding this, they continued to increase slowly,
rejecting many more applicants than they admitted ;
and often rejecting the better and admitting the worse,
because the worse had the property qualifications. In
this way they increased to the ma.ximum of thirty-three
families. They had no pecuniary difficulties, for they
kept mostly out of debt.
"It was a great reading Community; often averaging
as many as five or six regular newspapers to a family,
and these constantly exchanging with each other. They
were not religious, but mostly rather skeptical, except a
444 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
few elderly orthodox persons. [This hardly agrees with
the statement and protest on the 436th page.]
" They were very industrious, and had many discus-
sions and warm arguments about work, manners,
progress, etc. ; but still they continued to work and
scold, and scold and work, with much energy, and to
much effect. They raised one season ten thousand
bushels of wheat, and much other grain ; had about
seven hundred acres under cultivation ; but committed
a great error in cultivating four hundred acres on the
s( hool lands adjoining their own, because it lay a little
better for a large field. They had subsequently to re-
move their fences and leave that land, for they did not
wish to buy it.
" Their charter elections were annual, and were often
warmly contested, and turned mainly on the question of
unitary or isolated households ; but they never went
beyond words in their contentions.
"They were all temperance men and women: no
ardent spirits were kept or sold for the first four years in
the township, and never on the domain, while it was held
as joint-stock.
" Their system of labor and pay was somewhat com-
plicated, and never could be satisfactorily arranged.
The farmers and mechanics were always jealous of each
other, and could not be brought to feel near enough to
work on and divide the profits at the end of the year ;
but as they ever hoped to get over this difficulty, they
said but very little about it. In their system of labor
they formed groups for each kind of work ; each group,
when consisting of three or more, choosing its own fore-
man, who kept the account of the time worked by each
member, and reported weekly to a meeting of all the
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 445
members, which regulated the average ; and then the
Secretary copied it ; and at the end of the fiscal year
each person drew, on his labor account, his proportion
of the three-fourths of the increase and products which
was allotted to labor, and on his stock shares, his pro-
portion of the one-fourth that was divided to stock. The
amount so divided was ascertained by an annual ap-
praisal of all the property, thus ascertaining the rise or
increase in value, as well as the product of labor. The
dividend to capital was, however, usually considered too
large and disproportionate.
" The books and accounts were accurately kept by the
Secretary, and most of the individual transactions passed
through this form, thus leaving all accounts in the hands
of a disinterested person, open to inspection at all times,
and bringing about an annual settlement which avoided
many difficulties incident to civilization.
"The table of the Community, when kept as a public
boarding-house/ where the families and visitors or
travelers were mostly seated, was set with plain l>tit
substantial food, much like the tables of farmers in
newly settled agricultural States ; but it often incurred
the ridicule of loafers and epicures, who travel much
and fare better with strangers than at home.
" They had among their number a few men of leading
intellect who always doubted the success of the experi-
ment, and hence determined to accumulate property
individually by any and every means called fair in com-
petitive society. These would occasionally gain some
important positions in the society, and representing
it in part at home and abroad, caused much trouble.
By some they were accounted the principal cause of the
final failure.
446 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"In the summer and fall of 1849 it became evident
that a dissolution and division was inevitable, and plans
for doing it within themselves, without recourse to
courts of law, were finally got up, and they determined
to have it done by their legal advisers as other business
was done. At the annual election in December 1849,
the officers were elected with a view to that particular
business. They had already sold much of the personal
property and cancelled much of the stock. The highest
amount of stock ever issued was about $33,000, and
this was reduced by the sale of personal property up
to January 1850, to about $23,000; soon after which
the charter was amended, allowing the sale of real
estate and the discontinuance of annual settlement,
schools, etc.
" In April 1850 they fixed on an appraisal of their
lands in small lots (having some of them cut into village
and farm lots), and commenced selling at public sale for
stock, making the appraisal the minimum, and leaving
any lands open to entry, after they had been offered pub-
licly. During the summer of 1850 most of the lands
were sold and most of the stock cancelled in this way,
under an arrangement by which each stockholder should
receive his proportional share of any surplus, or make
up any deficiency. Most of the members bought either
farming lands or village lots and became permanent in-
habitants, thus continuing the society and its influences
to a considerable extent. They divided about eight per
cent, above par on the stock.
" Thus commenced, flourished and decayed this
attempt at industrial Association. It never attempted
to follow Fourier or any other teacher, but rather to
strike out a path for itself It failed because its leading
WISCONSIN PHALANX. 447
minds became satisfied that under existing circum-
stances no important progress could be made, rather
than from a want of faith in the ultimate practicability
of Association.
" Many of the members regretted the dissolution,
while others who had gained pr(jpert}' and become estab-
lished in business through the reputation of the Phalanx
for credit and punctuality, seemed to care very little
about it. Being absorbed in the world-wide spirit of
speculation, and hax'ing their minds thus occupied, they
forgot the necessity for a social change, which once
appeared to them so important."
The writer of the foregoing was probably one of the
leading members. In a paragraph preceding the account
he says that the Wisconsin Phalanx had these three
peculiarities, viz :
" I. The same individual who was the principal origi-
nator and organizer of it, was also the one, who, through-
out the e.^eriment, had the entire confidence of the
members and stockholders ; and finally did nearly all the
business in the closing up of its affairs.
" 2. At the division of its property, it paid a premium
on its>stock, instead of sustaining a loss.
" 3. Neither the Association nor any of its members
ever had a lawsuit of any kind during its existence, or at
its close.
" The truth is," he adds, " this attempt was pecuniarily
successful ; but socially, a failure."
Macdonald concludes with the following note : " Mr.
Daniels, a gentleman who saw the whole progress of the
Wisconsin Phalanx, says that the cause of its breaking
448 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
up was speculation ; the love of money and the want of
love for Association. Their property becoming valuable,
they sold it for the purpose of making money out of it."
This explanation of the mystery of the failure agrees
with the hints at the conclusion of the previous account.
On the whole, the coroner's verdict in this case must
be — 'Died, not by any of the common diseases of Asso-
ciations, such as poverty, dissension, lack of wisdom,
morality or religion, but by deliberate suicide, for rea-
sons not fully disclosed.'
449
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX.
This was the test-experiment on which Fourierism
practically staked its all in this country. Brisbane was
busy in its beginnings ; Greeley was Vice-President and
stockholder. Its ambitious name and its location near
New York City helped to set it apart as the model
Phalanx. It was managed with great ability, and on the
whole was more successful both in business and dura-
tion, than any other Fourier Association. It not only
saw all the Phalanxes die around it, but it outlasted the
Harbinger that blew the trumpet for them ; and fought
on, after the battle was given up. Indeed it outlived
our friend Macdonald, the 'Old Mortality' of Socialism.
Three times he visited it ; and the record of his last
visit, which was written in the year of his death, 1854,
and was probably the last of his literary labors, closes
with an acknowledgement of the continuance and pros-
perity of the North American. We shall have to give
several chapters to this important experiment. We will
begin with a semi-official expose of its foundations.
450 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
A History of the first nine years of the North American Phalanx, written
by its practical chief, Mr. Charles Sears, at the request of Macdonald ;
dated December, 1852.
"Prior to the spring of 1843, Mr. Albert Brisbane had
been publishing, principally in the New York Tribune,
a series of articles on the subject of social science.
He had also published his larger work on Association,
which was followed by his pamphlet containing a sum-
mary of the doctrines of a new form of society, and the
outline of a project to found a practical Association, to
be called the North American Phalanx.
"There was nominally a central organization in the
city of New York, and affiliated societies were invited
to co-operate b)' subscribing the means of endowing the
proposed Phalanx, and furnishing the persons to engage
personally in the enterprise. It was proj^osed to raise
about four hundred thousand dollars, thus making the
attempt with adequate means to establish the conditions
of attractive industry.
"The essays and books above mentioned had a wide
circulation, and many were captivated with the glowing
pictures of a new life thus presented ; others were
attracted by the economies of the combined order which
were demonstrated ; still others were inspired by the
hopes of personal distinction in the brilliant career thus
opened to their ambition ; others again, were profoundly
impressed by Fourier's sublime annunciation of the
general destinies of globes and humanities ; that pro-
gressive development through careers, characterized all
movement and all forms ; that in all departments of
creation, the law of the series was the method observed
in distributing harmonies ; consequently, that human so-
ciety and human activity, to be in harmony with the
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 45 I
universe of relations, can not be an exception to the
great law of the series ; consequently, that the existing
order of civilization and the societies that preceded it
are but phases in the growth of the race, and having
subserved their more active uses, become bases of
further development.
" Among those who became interested in the idea of
social progress, were a few persons in Albany, New
York, who from reading and interchange of views, were
induced to unite in an organization for the purpose of
deliberately and methodically investigating the doc-
trines of a new social order as announced by Fourier,
deeming these doctrines worthy of the most profound
and serious consideration.
" This body, after several preliminary meetings, for-
mally adopted rules of organization on the 6th of April,
1843, and the declaration of their objects is in the fol-
lowing words: 'We, the undersigned, for the purpose
of investigating Fourier's theory of social reform as
expounded by Albert Brisbane, and if deemed expedi-
ent, of co-operating with like organizations elsewhere,
do associate, with the ulterior view of organizing and
founding an industrial and commercial Phalanx.'
"Proceeding in this direction, the body assumed the
name of ' The Albany Branch of the North American
Phalanx;' opened a correspondence with Messrs. Bris-
bane, Greeley, Godwin, Channing, Ripley and others ;
had lectures of criticism on existing institutions and in
exposition of the doctrines of the proposed new order.
" During the summer practical measures were so
matured, that a commission was appointed to explore the
country, more particularly in the vicinity of New York
and of Philadelphia, for a suitable domain upon which
452 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
to commence the foundation of new social institutions.
Mr. Brisbane was the delegate on the part of the New
York friends, and Mr. Allen Worden on the part of the
Albany Branch. A site was selected in Monmouth
County, New Jersey, about forty miles south of New
York; and on the 12th day of August, 1843, pursuant
to public notice, a convention was held in the Albany
Exchange, at which the North American Phalanx was
organized by adopting a constitution, and subscribing to
a covenant to invest in the capital stock.
" At this convention were delegates from New York,
Catskill, Troy, Brook Farm Association, and the Albany
Branch ; and when the real work of paying money and
elevating life to the effort of social organization was to
be done, about a dozen subscribers were found equal to
the work, ten of whom finally co-operated personally in
the new life, with an aggregate subscription of eight
thousand dollars. This by common consent was the
absolute minimum of men and means ; and, contrasted
with the large expectations and claims originally stated,
was indeed a great falling-ofif ; but the few who had com-
mitted themselves with entire faith to the movement,
went forward, determined to do what they could to make
a worthy commencement, hoping that with their own
families and such others as would from time to time be
induced to co-operate, the germs of new institutions
might fairly be planted.
"Accordingly in the month of September, 1843, a few
families took possession of the domain, occupying to
over-fullness the two farm-houses on the place, and com-
menced building a temporary house, forty feet by eighty,
of two stories, for the accommodation of those who were
to come the following spring.
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 453
"During the year 1844 the population numbered
about ninety persons, including at one period nearly
forty children under the age of sixteen years. Crops
were planted, teams and implements purchased, the
building of shops and mills was commenced, measures
of business and organization were discussed, the con-
struction of social doctrines debated, personal claims
canvassed, and thus the busmess, of life was going on at
full tide ; and now also commenced the real development
of character.
" Hitherto there had been no settled science of
society. Fourier, the man of profound insight, an-
nounced the law of progress and indicated the new
forms that society would take. People accepted the
new ideas gladly, and would as gladly institute new
forms ; but there was a lack of well-defined views on the
precise work to be done. Besides, education tended
strongly to confirm in most minds the force of existing
institutions, and after attaining to middle age, and even
before this period, the character usually becomes quite
fixed ; so that to break up habitudes, relinquish preju-
dices, sunder ties, and to adopt new modes of action,
accept of modified results, and re-adjust themselves to
new relations, was a difficult, and to the many, almost
impossible work, as is proved by the fact that, of the
thirty or forty similar attempts at associated life within
the past ten years in this country, only the North Amer-
ican Phalanx now [1852] remains. Nor did this Asso-
ciation escape the inevitable consequences of bringing
together a body of grown-up people with their families,
many of whom came reluctantly, and whose characters
were formed under other influences.
"Personal difficulties occurred as a matter of course,
454 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
but these were commonly overruled by a healthy senti-
ment of self-respect. Parties also began to form, but
they were not fully developed until the first annual
settlement and distribution of profits was attempted.
Then, however, they took a variety of forms according
to the interest or ambition of the partisans ; though two
principal views characterized the more permanent and
clearly defined party divisions ; one party contending
for authority, enforced with stringent rules and final
appeal to the dictation of the chief officer ; the other
party standing out for organization and distribution of
authority. The former would centralize power and
make administration despotic, claiming that thus only
could order be maintained ; the latter claimed that to
do this, would be merely to repeat the institutions of
civilization ; that Association thus controlled would be
devoid of corporate life, would be dependent upon indi-
viduals, and quite artificial ; whereas what we wanted
was a wholly dilferent order, viz., the enfranchisement
of the individual ; order through the natural method of
the series ; institutions that would be instinct with the
life that is organic, from the sum of the series, down to
the last subdivision of the group. The strife to main-
tain these several views was Ions: and vigorous ; and it
would scarcely be an exaggeration to say that our days
were spent in lab;^r and our nights in legislation, for the
first five years of our associative life. The question at
issue was vital. It was whether the infant Association
should or should not have new institutions ; whether it
should be Civilizee or Phalansterian ; whether it should
be a mere joint-stock corporation such as had been
before, or whether the new form of industrial organi-
zation indicated by Fourier should be initiated. In the
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 455
contest between the two principles of civilized joint-
stock Association, and of the Phalansterian or Serial
organization, the latter ultimately prevailed ; and in this
triumph of the idea of the natural organic forms of
society through the method of the series, we see dis-
tinctly the development of the germ of the Phalanx.
P'or when we have a true principle evolved, however
insignificant the development may be, the results,
although limited by the smallness of the development,
will nevertheless be right in kind. It is perhaps im-
portant, to the end that the results of our experience be
rightly comprehended, to indicate the essential features
of the order of society that is to succeed present dis-
order, and wherein it differs from other social forms.
" A fundamental feature is, that we deny the bald
atheism that asserts human nature to be a melancholy
failure and unworthy of respect or trust, and therefore
to be treated as an alien and convict. On the contrary,
we hold that, instead of chains, man requires freedom ;
instead of checks, he requires development ; instead of
artificial order through coercion, he requires the Divine
harmony that comes through counterpoise. Hence
society is bound by its own highest interests, by the
obligation it owes to its every member, to make organic
provision for the entire circle of human wants, for the
entire range of human activity ; so that the individual
shall be emancipated from the servitude of nature, from
personal domination, from social tyrannies ; and that
thus fully enfranchised and guaranteed by the whole
force of society, into all freedoms and the endowment
of all rights pertaining to manhood, he may fulfill his
own destiny, in accordance with the laws written in his
own organization.
456 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"In the Phalanx, then, we have, in the sphere of pro-
duction, the relation of employer and employed stricken
out of the category of relations, not merely as in the
simple joint-stock corporations, by substituting for the
individual employer the still more despotic and irresis-
tible corporate employer ; but by every one becoming
his own employer, doing that which he is best qualified
by endowment to do, receiving for his labor precisely
his share of the product, as nearly as it can be deter-
mined while there is no scientific unit of value.
" In the sphere of circulation or currency, we have a
representative of all the wealth produced, so that every
one shall have issued to him for all his production, the
abstract or protean form of value, which is convertible
into every other form of value ; in commerce or ex-
changes, reducing this from a speculation as now, to a
function ; employing only the necessary^ force to make
distributions ; and exchanging products or values on
the basis of cost.
" In the sphere of social relations, we have freedom to
form ties according to affinities of character.
" In the sphere of education, we establish the natural
method, not through the exaltation into professorships
of this, that or other notable persons, but through a body
of institutions reposing upon industry, and having or-
ganic vitality. Commencing with the nursery, we make,
through the living corporation, through adequately en-
dowed institutions that fail not, provision for the entire
life of the child, from the cradle upward ; initiating him
step by step, not into nominal, ostensible education
apart from his life, but into the real business of life, the
actual production and distribution of wealth, the science
of accounts and the administration of affairs ; and pro-
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 457
viding that, through uses, the science that lies back of
uses shall be acquired ; so theory and practice, the appli-
cation of science to the pursuits of life shall, through
daily use, become as familiar as the mother tongue ; and
thus place our children at maturity in the ranks of man-
hood and womanhood, competent to all the duties and
activities of life, that they may be qualified by endow-
ment to perform.
" In the sphere of administration, we have a graduated
hierarchy of orders, from the simple chief of a group, or
supervisor of a single function, up to the unitary admin-
istration of the globe.
" In the sphere of religion, we have religious life as
contrasted with the profession of a religious faith. The
intellect requires to be satisfied as well as the affections,
and is so with the scientific and therefore universal for-
mula, that the religious element in man is the passion of
unity ; that is, that all the powers of the soul shall
attain to true equilibrium, and act normally in accord-
ance with Divine law, so that human life in all its
powers and activities shall be in harmonious relations
with nature, with itself, and with the supreme center of
life.
" Of course we speak of the success of an idea, and
only expect realization through gradual development.
It is obvious also that such realization can be attained
only through organizatiort ; because, unaided, the indi-
vidual makes but scanty conquests over nature, and but
feeble opposition to social usurpations.
" The principle, then, of the Serial Organization being
established, the whole future course of the Association,
in respect to its merely industrial institutions, was plain,
viz. : to develop and mature the serial form.
458 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" Not that the old questions did not arise subse-
quently ; on the contrar)^ on the admission of new
members from time to time, they did arise and have
discussion anew ; but the contest had been virtually
decided. The Association had pronounced with such
emphasis in favor of the organization of labor upon the
basis of co-operative efforts, joint-stock property, and
unity of interests, that those holding adverse views
gradually withdrew ; and the harmony of the Associ-
ation was never afterward in serious jeopardy.
" During the later as well as earlier years of our asso-
ciated life, the question of preference of modes of real-
ization came under discussion in the Phalansterian
school, one party advocating the measure of obtaining
large means, and so fully endowing the Phalanx with all
the external conditions of attractive industry, and then
introducing gradually a body of select associates. The
North American Phalanx, as represented in the conven-
tions of the school, held to the view that new social in-
stitutions, new forms into which the life of a people
shall flow, can not be determined by merely external
conditions and the elaboration of a theory of life and
organization, but are matters of growth.
" Our view is that the true Divine growth of the
social, as of the individual man, is the progressive devel-
opment of a germ ; and while we would not in the
slightest degree oppose a scientific organization upon a
large scale, it is our preference to pursue a more pro-
gressive mode, to make a more immediately practical
and controllable attempt.
" The call of to-day we understand to be for evidence,
First : Of the possibility of harmony in Association ;
Second: That by associated effort, and the control of
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 459
machinery, the laborer may command the means, not
only of comfort and the necessaries of life, but also of
education and refinement ; Third : that the nature of
the relations we would establish are essentially those
of religious justice.
"The possibility of establishing true social relations,
increased production, and the embodiment of the re-
ligious sentiment, are, if we read the signs aright, the
points upon which the question of Association now
hinges in the public mind.
" Because, First : Man's capacity for these relations is
doubted ; Because, Second : Production is an essential
and permanent condition of life, and means of progress ;
Because, Third : It is apprehended that the religious
element is not sufficiently regarded and provided for in
Association.
" Demonstrate that capacity, prove that men by their
own efforts may command all the means of life, show in
institutions the truly religious nature of the movement
and the relations that are to obtain, and the public will
be gained to the idea of Association.
" Another question still has been pressed upon us
offensively by the advocates of existing institutions, as
though their life were pure and their institutions perfect,
while no terms of opprobrium could sufficiently charac-
terize the depravity of the Socialists ; and this question
is that of the marriage relation. Upon this question a
form of society that is so notoriously rotten as existing
civilization is, a society that has marriage and prostitu-
tion as complementary facts of its relations of the sexes,
a society which establishes professorships of abortion,
which methodizes infanticide, which outlaws woman,
might at least assume the show of modesty, might treat
460 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
with common candor any and all who are seeking the
Divine law of marriage. Instead, therefore, of recog-
nizing its right to defame us, we put that society upon
its defense, and say to it, Come out of your infidelities,
and your crimes, and your pretenses ; seek out the law
of righteousness, and deal justly with woman. Never-
theless this is a question in which we, in common with
others, have a profound interest ; it is a question which
has by no means escaped consideration among us, and
we perhaps owe it to ourselves to state our position.
" What the true law of relationship of the sexes is,
we as a body do not pretend to determine. Here, as
elsewhere, individual opinion is free ; but there are cer-
tain conditions, as we think, clearly indicated, which are
necessary to the proper consideration of the question ;
and our view is that it is one that must be determned
mainly by woman herself When she shall be fully
enfranchised, fully endowed with her rights, so that she
shall no longer be dependent on marriage for position,
no longer be regarded as a pensioner, but as a constitu-
ent of the State ; in a single phrase, when society shall,
independently of other considerations than that of in-
herent right, assure to woman social position and
pecuniary independence, so that she can legislate on a
footing of equality, then she may announce the law
of the sexual relations. But this can only occur in
organized society ; society in which there is a complete
circle of fraternal institutions that have public ac-
ceptance ; can only occur when science enters the
domain of human society, and determines relations,
as it now does in astronomy or physic.
" We therefore say to civilization. You have no ade-
quate solution of this problem that is convulsing you.
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 46 1
and in which every form of private and public protest
against the actual condition is expressing itself Be-
sides this we claim what can not be claimed for any
similar number of people in civilization, viz., that we
have been here over ni.ne years, with an average pop-
ulation of nearly one hundred persons of both sexes
and all ages, and, judged by the existing standard of
morals, we are above reproach on this question.
" Thus we have proceeded, disposing of our primary
legislation, demonstrating to general acceptance the
rectitude of our awards and distributions of profit, deter-
mining questions of social doctrine, perfecting methods
of order, and developing our industry, with a fair
measure of success. In this latter respect the following
statistics will indicate partially the progress we have
made.
" We commenced in 1843, as before mentioned, with
a dozen subscribers, and an aggregate subscription of
$8,000. On the 30th of November, 1844, upon our first
settlement, our property amounted in round numbers to
$ 28,000 ; of which we owed in capital stock and bal-
ances due members, say, ;^ 1 8,000. The remainder was
debt incurred in purchasing the land, $9,000; imple-
ments, etc., $1,000; total, $10,000.
" Our population at this period, including members
and applicants, was nearly as follows : Men, thirty-two ;
women, nineteen ; children of both sexes under sixteen
years, twenty-six ; making an aggregate of seventy-
seven. At one period thereafter our numbers were
reduced to about sixty-five persons.
"On the 30th of November, 1852, our property was
estimated at $ 80,000, held as follows : capital stock and
balances of account due members, say, $62,800; per-
462
AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
manent debt, $12,103; floating debt, $5,097; total,
;^ 80,000. Dividing this sum by 673, the number of
acres, the entire cost of our property is $ \ \g per acre.
"At this period our population of members and appli-
cants is as follows: men, forty-eight; women, thirty-
seven ; adults, eighty-five ; children under sixteen years,
twenty-seven ; making an aggregate of one hundred and
twelve.
" Dividing the sum of property by this number, we
have an average investment for each man, woman
and child, of over $700, or for each family of five per-
sons, say, $3,600. Dividing the sum of our permanent
debt by the number of our population, the average to
each person is, say, $ 107.
" For the purpose of comparing the pecuniary results
of our industry to the individual, with like pursuits
elsewhere, we make the following exhibition : In the
year 1844 the average earnings of adults, besides their
board, was three dollars and eighty cents a month, and
the dividend for the use of capital was
1845. Earnings of labor was
of capital
1846. Earnings of labor
of capital
1847. Earnings of labor
of capital
1848. Earnings of labor
of capital
1849. Earnings of labor
of capital
1850. Earnings of labor
of capital
185 1. Earnings of labor
of capital
4.7 per cent.
$S.2i per month.
05. 1 per cent
2.73 per month.
04.4 per cent.
12.02 per month
05.6 per cent.
14 10 per month
05.7 per cent
13.58 per month.
05.6 per cent.
13.58 per month.
05.52 per cent.
14.59 P^^ month.
04.84 per cent.
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 463
" It is to be noted that when we took possession of
our domain, the land was in a reduced condition ; and
upon our improvements we have made no profit except-
ing subsequent increased revenue, they having been
valued at cost. Also that our labors were mainly
agricultural until within the last three years, when
milling was successfully introduced. We have, it is
true, carried on various mechanical branches for our
own purposes, such as building, smith-work, tin-work,
shoe-making, etc. ; but for purposes of revenue, we
have not to much extent succeeded in introducing
mechanical branches of industry.
"Furthermore, we divide our profits upon the follow-
ing general principles : For labors that are necessary,
but repulsive or exhausting, we award the highest rates ;
for such as are useful, but less repugnant or taxing, a
relatively smaller award is made ; and for the more
agreeable pursuits, a still smaller rate is allowed.
"Thus observing this general formula in our classifi-
cation of labor, viz. : the necessary, the useful, and the
agreeable ; and also awarding to the individual, first, for
his labor, secondly, for the talent displayed in the use
of means, or in adaptation of means to ends, wise
administration, etc., and thirdly, for the use of his
capital ; it will be perceived that we make our award
upon a widely different basis from the current method.
We have a theory of awards, a scientific reason for our
classification of labor and our awards to individuals ;
and one of the consequences is that women earn more,
relatively, among us than in existing society.
" In matters of education we have hitherto done little
else than keep, as we might, the common district school,
introducing, however, improved methods of instruction.
464 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Other interests have pressed upon us ; other questions
clamored for solution. We were to determine whether
or not we could associate in all the labors of life ; and if
yea, then whether we could sufficiently command the
material means of life, until we should have established
institutions that would supersede the necessity of stren-
uous personal effort. It will be understood that this
work has been sufficiently arduous, and consequently
that our children, being too feeble in point of numbers
to assert their rights, have been pushed aside."
Here follows a labored disquisition on the possibilities
of serial education, which we omit, as the substance of it
can be found in the standard expositions of Fourierism.
" If now we are asked, what questions we have
determined, what results we may fairly claim to have
accomplished through our nine years of associated life
and efforts at organization, we may answer in brief, that
so far as the members of this body are concerned, we
meet the universal demand of this day with institutions
which guarantee the rights of labor and the products
thereof, of education, and a home, and social culture.
This is not a mere declaration of abstract rights that we
claim to make, but we establish our members in the
possession and enjoyment of these rights ; and we
venture to claim that, so far as the comforts of home,
private rights and social privileges are concerned, our
actual life is greatly in advance of that of any mixed
population under the institutions of existing civilization,
either in town or country. We claim, so far as with our
small number we could do, to have organized labor
through voluntary Association, upon the principle of
unity of interests ; so reconciling the hitherto hostile
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 465
parties of laborer and capitalist ; so settling the world-
old, world-wide quarrel, growing out of antagonistic
interests among men ; that is, we have organized the
production and distribution of wealth in agricultural and
domestic labor, and in some branches of mechanics and
manufactures, and thus have abolished the servile char-
acter of labor, and the servile relation of employer and
employed. And it is precisely in the point where failure
was most confidently predicted, viz., in domestic labor,
that we have most fully succeeded, because mainly, as
we suppose, in the larger numbers attached to this
industry we had the conditions of carrying out more
fully the serial method of organization.
" In distributing the profits of industry we have
adopted a law of equitable proportion, so that when the
facts are presented, we have initiated the measure of
attaining to practical justice, or in the formula of
Fourier, 'equitable distribution of profits.' We claim
also that we guarantee the sale of the products of indus-
try ; that is, we secure the means of converting any and
every form of product or fruit of labor at the cost there-
of, into any other form also at cost. For all our labor is
paid for in a domestic currency. In other words, when
value is produced, a representative of that value is issued
to the producer ; and only so far as there is the produc-
tion of value, is there any issue of the representative of
value ; so that property and currency are always equal,
and thus we solve the problem of banking and cur-
rency ; thus we have in practical operation, what Proud-
hon vainly attempted to introduce into France ; what
Kellogg proposed to introduce under governmental
sanction in this country ; what Warren proposes to
accomplish by his labor notes and exchanges at cost.
466 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" We might State other facts, but let this suffice for
the present ; and we will only say in conclusion, that
when the organization of our educational series shall be
completed, as we hope to see it, we shall thus have
established as a body a measurably complete circle of
fraternal institutions, in which social and private rights
are guaranteed ; we shall then fairly have closed the first
cycle of our societary life and efforts, fairly have laid
the germs of living institutions, of the corporations
which have perpetual life, which gather all knowledges,
which husband all experiences, and into the keeping of
which we commit all material interests, and which only
need a healthy development to change without injustice,
to absorb without violence, the discords of existing
society, and to unfold, as naturally as the chrysalis
unfolds into a form of beauty, a new and higher order of
human society.
"To carry on this work we need additional means to
endow our agricultural, our educational, our milling and
other interests, and to build additional tenements ; and
above all we need additional numbers of people who are
willing to work for an idea ; men and women who are
competent to establish or conduct successfully some
branch of profitable industry; who understand the
social movement ; who will come among us with
worthy motives, and with settled purpose of fraternal
co-operation ; who can appreciate the labor, the con-
ditions of life, the worth of the institutions we have and
propose to have, in contrast with the chances of private
gain accompanied by the prevailing disorder, the denial
of right, and the ever-increasing o]:)pressions of existing
civilization.
"The views of members and applicants upon the
NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX. 46/
foregoing statement are expressed by the position of
their signatures affixed below :
Aye.
H. T. Stone, Eugenia Thomson,
Lucius Eaton, Leemon Stockwell,
Alcander Longley, R. N. Stockwell,
Herman Schetter, A. P. French,
W. A. French,
John Ash, Jr ,
John H. Steel,
Phebe T. Drew,
John Gray,
Robert J. Smith,
E. L. Holmes,
Gertrude Sears,
E. A. Angell,
J. Bucklin,
L. E. Bucklin,
Edwin D. Sayre,
O. S. Holmes,
John V. Sears,
P. French,
Nathaniel H. Colson,
John French,
Mary E. F. Grey,
Althea Sears,
H. Bell Munday,
Caroline M. Hathaway, M. A. Martin,
L. French,
Z. King, Jr.,
D. H. King,
A. J. Lanotte,
W. K. Prentice,
J. R. Vanderburgh, Anna E. Hathaway,
James Renshaw. Anne Guillauden,
J. G. Drew, L. Munday,
S. Martin, Chloe Sears,
Joseph T. French, James Renshaw, Jr.,
N. H. Stockwell, Emile Guillauden, Jr.,
C has. G. French, Ellen M. Stockwell,
Julia Bucklin,
Maynet.
Nay.
" Geo. Perry believes that difficulty arises from the selfish-
ness, class-interest and personal ambition, of Class No. i
and 2 ; also, last and not least, absence of uniformity of
attractions.
"J. R. Coleman endorses the above sentiments. James
Warren, do. H. N. Coleman, do.
"M. Hammond has very reluctantly concluded that the diffi-
culty is in the Institution and not in the members."
468 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX.
The following pictures from the files of the Harbinger,
with the subsequent reports of Macdonald's three visits,
give a tolerable view of life at the North American in
its early and its latter days.
[Fourth of July (1845) ^t the I'halaiix.J
" As soon as the moisture was off the grass, a group
went down to the beautiful meadows to spread the hay ;
and the right good will, quickness, and thoroughness
with which they completed their task, certainly illus-
trated the attractiveness of combined industry. Others
meanwhile were gathering for dinner the vegetables, of
which, by the consent of the whole neighborhood, they
have a supply unsurpassed in early maturity and excel-
lence ; and still others were busy in the various branches
of domestic labor.
" And now, the guests from New York and the
country around having come in, and the hour for the
meeting being at hand, the bell sounded, and men,
women and children assembled in a walnut grove near
the house, where a semicircle of seats had been ar-
ranged in the cool shade. Here addresses were given
by William H. Channing and Horace Greeley, illustrat-
ing the position that Association is the truly consistent
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 469
embodiment in practice of the professed principles of
our nation.
" After some hour and a half thus spent, the company
adjourned to the house, where a table had been spread
the whole length of the hall, and partook of a most
abundant and excellent dinner, in which the hospitable
sisters of the Phalanx had most satisfactorily proved
their faith by their works. Good cold water was the
only beverage, thanks tt) the temperance of the mem-
bers. A few toasts and short speeches seasoned the
feast.
"And now once again, the afternoon being somewhat
advanced, the demand for variety was gratified by a
summons to the hay-field. Every rake and fork were
in requisition ; a merrier group never raked and pitched ;
never was a meadow more dexterously cleared ; and it
was not long before there was a demand that the right
to labor should be honored by fresh work, which the
chief of the group lamented he could not at the mo-
ment gratify. To close the festivities the young people
formed in a dance, which was prolonged till midnight.
And so ended this truly cheerful and friendly holiday.
[George Ripley's visit to the Phalanx.]
May, 14, 1846.
"Arriving about dinner time at the Mansion, we
received a cordial welcome from our friends, and were
soon seated at their hospitable table, and were made to
feel at once that we were at home, and in the midst of
those to whom we were bound by strong ties. How
could it be otherwise .-* It was a meeting of those whose
lives were devoted to one interest, who had chosen the
lot of pioneers in a great social reform, and who had
470 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
been content to endure sacrifices for the realization of
ideas that were more sacred than life itself Then, too,
the similarity of pursuits, of the whole mode of life in
our infant Associations, produces a similarity of feeling,
of manners, and I could almost fancy, even of expres-
sion of countenance. I have ol'ten heard strangers
remark upon the cheerfulness and elasticity of spirit
which struck them on visiting our little Association at
Brook Farm ; and here I found the same thing so
strongly displayed, that in conversing with our new
friends, it seemed as if they were the same that I had
left at home, or rather tliat I had been side by side with
them for months or years, instead of meeting them
to-day for the first time. I did not need any formal
introduction to make me feel acquainted, and I flatter
myself that there was as little reserve cherished on their
part.
" After dinner we were kindly attended by our
friend Mr. Sears over this beautiful, I may truly say,
enchanting domain. I had often heard it spoken of in
terms of high commendation ; but I must confess, I was
not prepared to find an estate combining so many
picturesque attractions with such rare agricultural capa-
bilities.
" Our friends here have no doubt been singularly for-
tunate in procuring so valuable a domain as the scene
of their experiment, and I see nothing which, with
industry and perseverance, can create a doubt of their
triumphant success, and that at no very distant day.
" I was highly gratified with the appearance of the
children, and the provision that is made for their educa-
tion, physical as well as intellectual. I found them in a
very neat school-room, under the intelligent care of
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 47I
Mrs. B., who is devoting herself to this department with
a noble zeal and the most pleasing results. It is seldom
that young people in common society have such ample
arrangements for their culture, or give evidence of such
a healthy desire for improvement.
"This Association has not been free from difficulties.
It has had to contend with the want of sufficient capital,
and has experienced some embarrassment on that
account. It has also suffered from the discouragement
of some of its members — a result always to be expected
in every new enterprise, and by no means formidable in
the long run — and discontent has produced depression.
Happily, the disaffected have«retired from the premises,
and with few, if any, exceptions, the present members
are heartily devoted to the movement, with strong faith
in the cause and in each other, and determined to
deserve success, even if they do not gain it. Their
prospects, however, are now bright, and with patient in-
dustry and internal harmony they must soon transform
their magnificent domain into a most attractive home
for the associative household May God prosper them !"
[N. C. Xcidliart's visit to the Phalanx.]
July 4, 1847.
" It is impossible for me to describe the deep impres-
sion which the life and genial countenances of our
brethren have made upon us. Although not belonging
to what are very unjustly called the higher classes, I dis-
covered more true refinement, that which is based upon
humanitary feeling, than is generally found among those
of greater pretensions. There is a serene, earnest love
about them all, indicating a determination on their part
to abide the issue of the great experiment in which they
are engaged.
4/2 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"After a fatiguing walk over the domain, I found their
simple but refreshing supper very inviting. Here we
saw for the first time the women assembled, of whom we
had only caught occasional glimpses before. They
appeared to be a genial band, with happy, smiling coun-
tenances, full of health and spirits. Such deep and
earnest eyes, it seemed to me, I had never seen before.
Most of the younger girls had wreaths of evergreen and
flowers wound around their hair, and some also around
their persons in the form of scarfs, which became them
admirably.
" After tea we resorted to the reading-room, where are
to be found on files all the progressive and reformatory,
as well as the best agricultural, papers of the Union,
such as the New York Tribune, Practical Christian,
Young America, Harbinger, etc. There is also the
commencement of a small library.
" Only one thing was wanting to enliven the evening,
and that was music. They possess, I believe, a guitar,
flutes, and other instruments, but the time necessary for
their cultivation seems to be wanting. The want of
this so necessary accompaniment of universal harmony,
was made up to us by some delightful hours which we
spent in the parlor of Mrs. B., who showed us some of
her beautiful drawings, and in whose intelligent society
we spent the evening. This lady was formerly a mem-
ber of the Clermont Phalanx, Ohio. I was sorry there
was not time enough to receive from her an account of
the causes of the disbandment of this society. She
must certainly have been satisfied of the superiority of
associated life, to encourage her to join immediately
another.
" It was my good fortune (notwithstanding the large
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 473
number of visitors), to obtain a nice sleeping-room,
from which I was sorry to see I had driven some
obliging member of the Phalanx. The orderly sim-
plicity of this room was quite pleasing. It enabled us
to form some judgment of the order which pervaded
the Community.
" Next morning we took an early breakfast, and
accompanied by Mr. Wheeler, a member of the society,
we wandered over the whole domain. On our way
home we struck across Brisbane Hill, where they intend
to erect the future Phalansterian house on a more im-
proved and extensive plan.
"There is religious worship here every Sunday, in
which all those who feel disposed may join. The
members of the society adhere to different religious
persuasions, but do not seem to care much for the out-
ward forms of religion.
"As far as I could learn, the health of the Phalanx
has been generally very good. They have lost, how-
ever, several children by different diseases. During
the prevalence of the small-pox in the Community,
the superiority of the combined order over the isolated
household was most clearly manifested. Quite lately
they have constructed a bathing-house. The water is
good, but must contain more or less iron, as the whole
country is full of it."
Macdonald' s first visit to the Phalanx.
October, 1851.
" It was dark when I arrived at the Phalanstery.
Lights shone through the trees from the windows of
several large buildings, the sight of which sent a
cheering glow through me, and as I approached, I
474 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
inwardly fancied that what I saw was part of an early
dream. The glancing lights, the sounds of voices,
and the notes of music, while all nature around was
dark and still, had a strange effect, and I almost be-
lieved that this was a Community where people were
really happy.
"I entered and inquired for Mr. Bucklin, whose name
had been given me. At the end of a long hall I found
a small readiiig-room, with four or five strange-looking
beings sitting around a table reading newspapers. They
all appeared eccentric, not alone because they were
unshaven and unshorn, but from the peculiar look of
their eyes and form of their faces. Mr. Bucklin, a kind
man, came to me, glancing as if he anticipated some-
thing important. I explained my business, and he sat
down beside me ; but though I attempted conversation,
he had very little to say. He inquired if I wished for
supper, and on my assenting, he left me for a few
minutes and then returned, and very soon after he led
me out to another building. We passed through a
passage and up a short flight of steps into a very hand-
some room, capable, I understood, of accommodating
two hundred persons at dinner. It had a small gallery
or balcony at one end of it, and six windows on either
side. It was furnished with two rows of tables and
chairs, each table large enough for ten or twelve persons
to dine at. There were three bright lamps suspended
from the ceiling. At one end of the room the chairs
and tables had been removed, and several ladies and
gentlemen were dancing cotillions to the music of a
violin, played by an amateur in the gallery. At the
other end of the room there was a doorway leading to
tlie kitchen, and near this my supper was laid, very nice
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 475
and tidy, Mr. Bucklin introduced me to Mr. Holmes, a
gentleman who had lived in the Skaneateles and
Trumbull experiments ; and Mr. Holmes introduced me
to Mr. Williston, who gave me some of the details of the
early days of the North American Phalanx, during
which he sometimes lived in high style, and sometimes
was almost starved. He told of the tricks which the
young members played upon the old members, many of
whom had left.
" On looking at the dancers I perceived that several
of the females were dressed in the new costume, which
is no more than shortening the frock and wearing trows-
ers the same as men. There were three or four young
women, and three or four children so dressed. I had
not thought much of this dress before, but was now
favorably impressed by it, when I contrasted it with the
long dresses of some of the dancers. This style is
decidedly superior, I think, for any kind of active
employment. The dress seems exceedingly simple.
The frocks were worn about the same length as the
Highland kilt, ending a little above the knee ; the
trowsers were straight, and both were made of plain
material. Afterward I saw some of the ladies in supe-
rior suits of this fashion, looking very elegant.
"Mr. Holmes shewed me to my bed, which was in the
top of another building. It was a spacious garret with
four cots in it, one in each corner. There were two
windows, one of which appeared to be always open, and
at that window a young man was sleeping, although the
weather was very wet. The mattress I had was
excellent, and I slept well ; but the accommodations
were rather rude, there being no chairs or pegs to hang
the clothes upon. The young men threw their clothes
4/6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
upon the Hour. There was no carpet, but the floor
seemed very clean.
" It rained hard all night, and the morning continued
wet and unpleasant. I rose about seven, and washed in
a passage-wa}- leading from the sleeping-rooms, where I
lound water well supplied; passed rows of small sleep-
ing-rooms, and went out for a stroll. The morning was
too unpleasant for walking much, but I examined the
houses, and found them to be large framed buildings,
the largest of the two having been but recently built.
It formed two sides of a square, and had a porch in
front and on part of the back. It appeared as if the
portion of it which was complete was but a wing of a
more extensive design, intended to be carried out at
some future time. The oldest building reminded me
of one of the Rappite buildings in New Harmony,
excepting that it was built of wood and theirs of brick.
It formed a parallelogram, two stories high, with large
garrets at the top. A hall ran nearly the whole length
of the building, and terminated in a small room which
is used as a library, and to which is joined the office.
Apartments were ranged on either side of the hall up
stairs. All the rooms appeared to be bed-rooms, and
were in use. The new building was more commodious.
There were well furnished sitting-rooms on either side
of the principal entrance. The dining-hall, which I
have before mentioned, was in the rear of this. Up
stairs the rooms were ranged in a similar manner to
the old building, and appeared to be very comfortable.
I was informed that they were soon to be heated by
steam. All these apartments were rented to the
members at various prices, according to the relative
superiority of each room.
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 477
" As the bell at the end of the building rang a second
time for breakfast, I followed some of the members into
the room, and on entering took my seat at the table
nearest the door. I afterward learned that this was the
vegetarian table, and also that it was customary for each
person always to occupy the same seat at his meals.
The tables were well supplied with excellent, wholesome
food, and I think the majority of the members took tea
and coffee and ate meat. Young men and women
waited upon the tables, and seemed active and agreeable.
An easy freedom and a harmonious feeling seemed to
prevail.
" On leaving the room I was introduced to Mr. Sears,
who, I ascertained, was what they called the ' leading
mind.' He was rather tall, of a nervous temperament,
the sensitive predominating, and was easy and affable.
On my informing him of the object of my visit, he very
kindly led me to his office and showed me several papers,
which gave me every information I required, ^e intro-
duced me to Mr. Renshaw, a gentleman who had been
in the Ohio Phalanx. Mr. Renshaw was engaged in the
blacksmith-shop ; looked quite a philosopher^ so far as
form of head and length of beard and hair was con-
cerned ; but he had a little too much of the sanguine i-n
his temperament to be cool at all times. He very
rapidly asked me the object of my book : what good
would it do.' what was it for.'' and seemed disposed to
knock down some imaginary wrong, before he had any
clear idea of what it was. I explained, and together
with Mr. Sears, had a short controversy with him. which
had a softening tendency, though it did not lead to
perfect agreement. Mr. Sears contended that Com-
munity experiments failed because the accounts were
4/8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS
not clearly and faithfully kept ; but Mr. Renshavv main-
tained that they all failed for want of means, and that
the public impression that the members always disa-
greed was quite erroneous. At dinner I found a much
larger crowd of persons in the room than at breakfast.
I was introduced to several members, and among them
to Mr. French, a gentleman who had once been a Uni-
versalist preacher. He was very kind, and gave me
some information relative to the Jefferson County
Industrial Association,
" I also made the acquaintance of Mr. John Gray, a
gentleman who had lived five )ears among the Sha-
kers, and who was still a Shaker in appearance. Mr.
Gray is an Englishman, as would readily be perceived
by his peculiar speech ; but with his English he had
gotten a little mi.xture of the 'down east,' where he had
lately been living. Mr. Gray was very fluent of speech,
and what he said to me would almost fill a volume. He
spoke chiefly of his Shaker experience, and of the time
he had spent among the Socialists of England. He said
it was his intention to visit other Communities in the
United States, and gain all the experience he could
among them, and then return to England and make it
known. He was a dyer by trade (on which account
he was much valued by the Shakers), and was very
useful in taking care of swine. He spoke forcibly of
the evils of celibacy among the Shakers, and of their
strict regulations. He preferred living in the North
American Phalanx, feeling more freedom, and knowing
that he could go away when he pleased without diffi-
culty. He thought the wages too low. Reckoning, for
instance, that he earned about 90 cts. per day for ten
hours labor, he got in cash every two weeks three-fourths
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 479
of it, the remainiii<; fourth goin^c to the Phalanx as capi-
tal. Out of these wages he had to pay $ 1.50 per week
for board, and S12 a year rent, besides extras ; but he
had a very snug little room, and lived well. He thought
single men and women could do better there than
married ones ; but either could do better, so far as mak-
ing money was the object, in the outer world. He
decidedly preferred the single family and isolated cot-
tage arrangement. I made allowances for Mr. Gray's
opinions, when I remembered that he had been living
five years among the Shakers, and but four months at
the North American, whose regulations about capi-
tal and interest he was not very clear upon.
" I had a conversation with a lady who had lived two
years at Hopedale. She was intelligent, but very san-
guine ; well-spoken and agreeable, but had too much
enthusiasm. She described to me the early days of
Hopedale and its present condition. She did not like it,
but preferred the North American and its more unitary
arrangements. She thought that the single-cottage
system was wrong, and that woman would never attain
her true position in such circumstances. She had a
great opinion of woman's abilities and capacities for
improvement ; was sorry that the Phalanx had such a
bombastic name ; had once been very sanguine, but
was now chastened down ; believed that the North
American could not be called an experiment on
Fourier's plan ; the necessary elements were not there,
and never had been, and no experiment had ever been
attempted with such material as Fourier proposed ;
until that is done, we can not say the system is false, etc..
" After supper I had conversation with several per-
sons on Mr. Warren's plan of ' Equitable Commerce.'
480 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Most of them were well disposed toward his views of
'individuality,' but not toward his 'cost principle,' many
believinc^ the difficulties of estimating the cost of many
things not to be overcome ; the details in carrying out
the system would be too trifling and fine-drawn. Con-
versation turned upon the Sabbath. Some thought it
would be good to have periodical meetings for reading
or lecturing, and others thought it best to have nothing
periodical, but leave every thing and every body to act
in a natural manner, such as eating when you are hun-
gry, drinking when you are thirsty, and resting when
you are tired ; let the child play when it is so inclined,
and teach it when it demands to be taught. There were
all kinds of opinions among them regarding society and
its progress. My Shaker friend thought that society
was progressing 'first-rate' by means of Odd-Fellowship,
Freemasonry, benevolent associations, railroads, steam-
boats, and especially all kinds of large manufactories,
without such little attempts as these of the North
American to regenerate mankind.
" I might speculate on this strange mi.xture of minds,
but prefer that the reader should take the facts and
philosophize for himself Here were persons who, for
many years, had tried many schemes of social re-
organization in various parts of the country, brought
together not from a personal knowledge and attraction
for each other, but through a common love of the social
principles, which like a pleasant dream attracted them
to this, the last surviving of that extensive series of
experiments which commenced in this country about
the year 1843.
" I retired to my cot about ten o'clock, and passed a
restless night. The weather was warm and wet, and
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 481
continued so in the morning. Rose at five o'clock and
took breakfast with Dr. Lazarus and the stage-driver,
and at a quarter to six we left the Phalanx in their neat
little stage.
"During the journey to Keyport the Doctor seemed
to be full of Association, and made frequent allusions
to that state in which all things would be right, and
man would hold his true position ; thought it wrong to
cut down trees, to clear land, to raise corn, to fatten
pigs to cat, when, if the forest was left alone, we could
live on the native deer, which would be much better
food for man ; he would have fruit-trees remain where
they are found naturally ; and he would have many
other things done which the world would deem crazy
nonsense."
Macdonald' s second visit to the Phalanx.
" I visited the North American Phalanx again in July,
1852. The visit was an interesting one to me; but I
will only refer to the changes which have taken place
since my last visit.
" They have altered their eating and drinking arrange-
ments, and adopted the eating-house system. At the
table there is a bill of fare, and each individual calls foi
what he wants ; on obtaining it the waiter gives him
a check, with the price of the article marked thereon.
After the meal is over, the waiters go round and enter
the sum marked upon the check which each person has
received, in a book belonging to that person ; the total
is added up at the end of each month and the payments
are made. Each person finds his own sugar, which is
kept upon the table. Coffee is half-a-cent per cup,
including milk ; bread one cent per plate ; butter, I
482 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
think, half-a-cent ; meat two cents ; pie two cents ; and
other things in like proportion. On Mr. Holmes's book,
the cost of living ran thus : breakfast from one and
a-half cents to three and a-half cents ; dinner four and
a-half cents to nine cents ; supper four and a-half cents
to eight cents. In addition to this, as all persons use
the room alike, each pays the same rent, which is thirty-
six and a-half cents per week ; each person also pays a
certain portion for the waiting labor, and for lighting the
room. The young ladies and gentlemen who waited on
table, as well as the Phalanx Doctor (a gentleman of
talent and politeness), who from attraction performed
the same duty, got six and a-quarter cents per hour for
their labor.
" The wages of various occupations, agricultural,
mechanical and professional, vary from six cents to ten
cents per hour ; the latter sum is the maximum. The
wages are paid to each individual in full every month,
and the profits are divided at the end of the year. Per-
sons wishing to become members are invited to become
visitors for thirty days. At the end of that time it is
sometimes necessary for them to continue another thirty
days ; then they may be admitted as probationers for
one year, and if they are liked by the members at the
end of that time, it is decided whether they shall become
full members or not.
" They had commenced brick-making, intending to
build a mill ; thought of building at Keyport or Red
Bank. Some anticipated a loan from Horace Greeley.
Their stock was good ; some said it was at par ; one
said, at seventy-five per cent, premium. (?) The profits
were invested in things which they thought would bring
them the largest interest ; they had shares in two steam-
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 483
boats running to New York from Keyport and Red
Bank.
" Their crops looked well, superior to any in the
vicinity. There were large fields of corn and potatoes
and a fine one of tomatoes. The first bushel of the
latter article had just been sent to the New York mar-
ket, and was worth eight dollars. There was a field of
good melons, quite a picture to look upon. Since my
last visit, there had been an addition made to the large
building. A man had built the addition at a cost of
$ 800, and had put $ 200 into the Phalanx, making
;$ 1,000 worth of stock. He lived in the house as his
own. There is a neat cottage near the large building,
which I suppose is also Association property, put in by
the gentleman who built it and uses it — a Mr. Manning,
I believe,
" The wages were all increased a little since my last
visit, and there seemed to be more satisfaction prevail-
ing, especially with the eating-house plan, which I
understood had effected a saving of about two-thirds in
the expenditure ; this was especially the case in the
article of sugar.
" The stage group was abolished ; and the stage sold.
It called there, however, regularly with the mails and
passengers as before.
" I gleaned the following : The Phalanx property could
support one thousand people, yet they can not get them,
and they have not accommodations for such a number.
Some doubt the advantage of taking more members
until they are richer. All say they are doing well ; yet
some admit that individually they could do better, or
that an individual with that property could have done
better than they have done. They hire about sixteen
484 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Dutch laborers, and say they are better treated than
they would be elsewhere. These board in a room
beneath the Phalanx dining-room, and lodge in various
out-places around. They had an addition of six French-
men to their numbers, said to be exiles ; these persons
were industrious and well liked.
" In a conversation with one of the discontented
members, who had been there five years, he said that
after an existence of nine years, there were fewer mem-
bers than at the commencement ; there was something
wrong in the system they were practicing ; and if that
was Association, then Association was wrong ; thinks
there are some persons who try to crush and oust those
who differ from them in opinion, or who wish to change
the system so as to increase their number.
" There was more than enough work for all to do,
mechanics especially. Carpenters were in demand.
They had to hire the latter at $ 1.50 per dav. They
don't get any to join them. Some thought the wages
too low ; yet the cost of living was not much over $ 2.
per week, including washing and all else but clothing
and luxuries.
" My acquaintance, John Gray, had been away from
the Phalanx for some months, but had returned, having
found that he could not live in 'old society' again;
sooner than that, he would return to the Shakers. He
spoke much more favorably of the North American than
before, and was particularly pleased with the eating
arrangement ; he wanted to see the individual system
carried out still further among them ; for in proportion
as they adopted that, they were made free and happy ;
but in proportion as they progressed toward Com-
munism, the result was the reverse. After alluding to
LIFE AT THE NORTH AMERICAN. 485
their many little clifificulties, he pointed out so many
advantages, that they seemed to counter-balance all the
evils spoken of by himself and others. Criticism, he
said, was the most potent regulator and governor.
"The charges were increased at the Phalanx. For
five meals and very inferior sleeping accommodations
twice, I paid $ 1.75. The I'halanx had paid five per
cent, dividend on stock, for the past year."
Macdonald' s third visit to the Phalanx.
"In the fall of 1853 I made another pilgrimage to the
North American. On my journey from Red Bank I
had for my fellow-passengers, the well-known Albert
Brisbane and a young man named Davidson. The ride
was diversified by interesting debates upon Spiritualism
and Association.
"At the Phalanx I was pleased with the appearance
of things during this visit. I saw the same faces, and
felt assured they were 'sticking to it.' I also fell in
with some strangers who had lately been attracted
there. I was informed by one or two of the members
that the articles which had been published about
the Phalanx in the New York Herald, had done them
good. It made the place known, and caused many
strangers to visit them ; among whom were some
capitalists who offered to lend their aid ; a Dr. Parmelee
was named as one of these. The articles also did good
in criticising their peculiarities, letting them know what
the 'world' thought of them, and shaking them up,
like wind upon a stagnant pond.
" Mr. Sears informed me that they had had a freshet
in August, which destroyed a large quantity of their
forage ; and the dams were broken down, causing a loss
486 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
of two or three hundred dollars. Their peach-orchard
had failed, causing a deficiency of nearly two-thirds the
usual amount of peaches. He was of the opinion that
in five years they would be able to show something
more tangible to the world. He thought that in about
that time the experiment would have completed a
marked phase in its history, and become more worthy
of notice.
" In a conversation with Mr. French I learned that he
had been away from the Phalanx for three weeks, seeing
his friends in the country ; but it made him happy to re-
turn ; he felt he could not live elsewhere. He said their
grand object was to provide a fitting education for
their children. They had been neglected, though often
thought of; and ere long something important would be
done for them, if things turned out as he hoped. Last
year, for the first time since their commencement, they
declared a dividend to labor ; this year they anticipated
more, but the accidents would probably reduce it. Their
total debts were $ 1 8,000, but the value of the place was
$ 55,000. They bought the land at $ 20 per acre, and it
had increased in value, not so much by their improve-
ments as by the rise of land all through that country.
They were not troubled about their debts ; it was an
advantage to them to let them remain ; they could pay
them at any time if necessary."
487
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX.
The Harbinger and Macdonald both fail us in our
search for the history of the last days of the North
American ; and having asked in vain for an authentic
account of its failure from one at least of its leaders, we
must content ourselves with such scraps of information
on this interesting catastrophe, as we have picked up
here and there in various publications. And first we
will bring to view one or two facts which preceded the
failure, and apparently led to it.
In the spring of 1853 — the tenth year of the Pha-
lanx— there was a split and secession, resulting in the
formation of another Association, called the Raritan Bay
Union, at Perth Amboy, New Jersey. A correspondent
of the New York Herald, who visited this new Union
in June, 1853, speaks of its founders and foundations as
follows :
" The subscriptions already amount to over forty
thousand dollars. Among the names of the stock-
holders I notice that of Mrs. Tyndale, formerly an
extensive crockery dealer in Chestnut street, Philadel-
phia, who carried on the business in her own name until
she accumulated a handsome fortune, and then relin-
488 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
quished it to her son and son-in-law ; also Marcus
Spring, commission merchant of New York; Rev.
William Henry Channing of Rochester, and Clement O.
Read, late superintendent of the large wash-house in
Mott street, New York.
" The President of the corporation, George B. Arnold
Esq., was last year President of the North American
Phalanx. Many years ago he was a minister at large in
the city of New York. He afterward removed to Illinois,
where he established an extensive nursery, working with
his own hands at the business, which he carried on suc-
cessfully. He is an original thinker, a practical man, of
clear, strong common sense.
" The founders of the Union believe that many
branches of business may be carried on most. advanta-
geously here, and that the best class of mechanics will
soon find their interest and happiness promoted by join-
ing them. Extensive shops will be erected, and either
carried on directly by the corporation, or leased, with
sufficient steam-power, to companies of its own mem-
bers. The different kinds of business will be kept
separate, and every tub left to stand upon its own
bottom. They aim at combination, not confusion.
Every man will have pay for what he does, and no man
is to be paid for doing nothing. Whether they will drag
the drones out, if they find any, and kill them as the bees
do in autumn, or whether their ferryman will be directed
to take them out in his boat and tip them into the bay,
or what will be done with them, I can not say. But the
creed of this new Community seems to be, that ' Labor
is praise.' In religious matters the utmost freedom
exists, and every man is left to follow the dictates of his
own conscience."
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 489
Macdonald briefly mentions this Raritan Bay Asso-
ciation, and characterizes it as " a joint-stock concern,
that undertook to hold an intermediate position between
the North American and ordinary society;" meaning,
we suppose, that it was less communistic than the
Phalanx. He furnishes also a copy of its constitution,
the preamble of which declares that its object is to
establish " various branches of agriculture and me-
chanics, whereby industry, education and social life
may, in principle and practice, be arranged in con-
formity to the Christian religion, and where all ties,
conjugal, parental, filial, fraternal and communal, which
are sanctioned by the will of God, the laws of nature,
and the highest experience of mankind, may be purified
and perfected ; and where the advantages of co-opera-
tion may be secured, and the evils of competition
avoided, by such methods of joint-stock Association as
shall commend themselves to enlightened conscience
and common sense."
The board of officers whose names are attached to
this constitution were,
Preside)it, George R. Arnold ; Directors, Clement O.
Read, Marcus Spring, George B. Arnold, Joseph L.
Pennock, Sarah Tyndale ; Treasurer, Clement O. Read ;
Secretary, Angelina G. Weld.
It is evident that this oftshoot drew away a portion
of the members and stockholders of the North Ameri-
can. It amounted to little as an Association, and
disappeared with the rest of its kindred ; but its seces-
sion certainly weakened the parent Phalanx.
During the summer after this secession, the North
American appears to have had an acrimonious contro-
490 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
versy about religion with somebody, inside or outside,
the nature of which we can only guess from the
following mysterious hints in a long article written by
Mr. Sears in the fall of 1853, on behalf of the Associ-
ation, and published in the New York Tribune under the
caption, ''Religion in the North American Phalanx!^
Mr. Sears said :
" I am incited to these remarks by the recent impo-
sition of a missionary effort among us, and by a
letter respecting it, indicating the failure of a cherished
scheme, in a spirit which shows that the old sanctions
only are wanting, to kindle the old fires. And, lest our
silence be further misconstrued, and we subjected to
further discourtesy, I am induced to say a few words in
defense.
" Neither our quiet nor our good character have quite
sufficed to protect us from the customary officiousness
of busy sectaries, who professed not to understand
how a people could associate, how a commonwealth
could exist, without adopting some sectarian profession
of religious faith, some partisan form of religious
observance.
"In vain we urged that our institutions were reli-
gious ; that here, before their eyes, was made real and
practical in daily life and established as a real societary
feature, that fraternity which the church in every form
has held as its ideal ; that here the Christian rule of life
is made possible in the only way that it can be made
possible, viz., through social guarantees which confirm
the just claims of every member. In vain we showed
that in the matter of private faith we did not propose to
interfere, but in this respect held the same relation of a
body to its constituent members, that the State of New
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 49I
Jersey or any other commonwealth does to its citizens ;
that tolerance was our only proper course, and must
continue to be ; that the professors of any name could
organize a society and have a fellowship of the same
religious communion, if they chose ; but that our effort
was to seek out the divine mathematics of societary
relations, and to determine a formula that would be
of universal application ; and that to allow our organiza-
tion to be taken possession of as an agency for pushing
private constructions of doctrine, would be an impos-
sible descent for us ; that any who choose could make
such profession and have such observances as they liked,
and by arrangement have equal use of our public rooms.
Still from time to time various parties have urged their
private views upon us, and whenever they wished, have
had, by arrangement, the use of room and such audience
as they could attract. But never until the past summer
has there been such a persistent effort to press upon us
private observance as to excite much attention ; and for
the first time in our history there arose, through a rep-
rehensible effort, a public discussion of religious dogmas ;
and, to our regret and annoyance, the usual sectarian
uncharitableness was exhibited and has since been
expressed to us."
A further glimpse at the difficulty alluded to, is
afforded by the following paragraph, which appeared in
print about the same time, written by Eleazer Parmlee, a
partizan of the other side :
" I received the inclosed letter from Marcus Spring,
who requested me to co-operate with himself and others
(at the two Phalanxes) in sustaining a preacher ; as he
insists ' that the religious and moral elements in man
492 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
should be cultivated for the true success of Association.'
I shall write to Mr. Spring that it is not my opinion that
religious cultivation or teaching will be allowed, certainly
at one of the Associations ; and I would advise all per-
sons who have any respect or regard for the religion of
the Bible, and who do not wish to have their feelings
outraged by a total want of common courtesy, to keep
entirely away, at least from the North American."
It seems probable that this controversy, whatever it
may have been, was complicated with the secession
movement in the spring before. We notice that Marcus
Spring, who was originally a prominent stockholder in
the North American, and who went over, as we have
seen, to the rival Phalanx at Perth Amboy, was mixed
up with this controversy, and apparently instigated the
"missionary imposition" of which Mr. Sears complains.
It may be reasonably conjectured that this theological
quarrel led to the ultimate withdrawal of stock which
brought the Association to its end.
In September 1853, after the secession and after the
quarrel about religion, the following gloomy picture of
the Phalanx was sent abroad in the columns of the New
York Tribune, the old champion of Socialism in general
and of the North American in particular. Whether its
representations were true or not, it must have had a
very depressing effect on the Association, and doubtless
helped to realize its own forebodings :
[Correspondence of the New York Tribune.^
" I remained nine days at the North American
Phalanx. They appear to be on a safe material basis.
Good wages are paid the laborers, and both sexes are
on an equality in every respect ; the younger females
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 493
wear bloomers ; are beautiful and apparently refined ; but
both sexes grow up in ignorance, and seem to have but
little desire for mental progression. Their mode of life,
however, is a decided improvement on the old one : the
land appears to be well cultivated and very productive ;
the majority of the men, and some of the women, are
hard workers ; the wages of labor and profits on capital
are constantly increasing and likely to increase ; prob-
ably in a few years more the stock will be as good an
investment as any other stock, and the wages of labor
much better than elsewhere. The standard of agricul-
tural and mechanical labor is now nine cents per hour ;
kitchen-work, waiting, etc., about the same. Their
arrangements for economizing domestic labor seem very
efficient ; but they have no sewing-machine and no store
that amounts to any thing. If a hat of any kind is
wanted, they have to go to Red Bank for it. They
appear to make no effort to redeem their stock, which is
now mostly in the hands of non-residents. The few
who do save any thing, I understand, usually prefer
something that ' pays ' better. Most of them are decent
sort of people, have few bad qualities and not many
good ones, but they are evidently not working for an
idea. They make no effort to extend their principles,
and do not build, as a general thing, unless a person
wanting to join builds for himself Under such circum-
stances the progress of the movement must be necessa-
rily slow, if even it progress at all. Latterly the
number of members and probationers has decreased.
They find it necessary to employ hired laborers to
develop the resources of the land.
" So far as regards the material aspect, however, they
get along tolerably well. But I regard the mechanism
494 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS,
merely as a means for general progress — a basis for a
superstructure of unlimited mental and spiritual devel-
opment. They seem to regard it as the end. This
absence of facilities for education and mental improve-
ment is astonishing, in a Community enjoying so many
of the advantages of co-operation. Those engaged in
nurseries should have some acquaintance with physiology
and hygiene ; but such things are scarcely dreamed of
as yet among any of the members, except two or three ;
or if so, they keep very quiet about it. A considerable
portion of their hard earnings ends in smoke and spit-
toons, or some other form of mere animal gratification,
to which they are in a measure compelled to resort, in
the absence of any rational mode of applying their
small amount of leisure. Their reading-room is supplied
by two New York Tribunes, a Nauvoo Tribime, and two
or three worthless local papers. The library consists of
between three and four hundred volumes, not many of
them progressive or the reverse. I believe there is a
sort of a school, but should think they don't teach much
there worth knowing, if results are to be the criterion.
Cigar smoking is bad enough in men, but particularly
objectionable in twelve-year olds. A number of papers
are taken by individuals, but those that most need them
don't have much chance at them ; besides, it is the end
of associate life to economise by co-operation in this as
in other matters. Some of them make miserable apolo-
gies for neglect of these matters, on the score of want
of leisure, means, etc., but all amounts to nothing.
"The Phalanx people, having deferred improving the
higher faculties of themselves and children until their
lower wants are supplied, which can never be, are heavily
in debt ; and so far as any effect on the outer world is
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 495
concerned, the North American Phalanx is a total
failure. No movement based on a mere gratification of
the animal appetites can succeed in extending itself
There must be intellectual and spiritual life and
progress ; matter can not move itself"
A year later the Phalanx suffered a heavy loss by fire,
which was reported in the Tribune, September 13, 1854,
as follows :
Destruction of the Mills of the North American Phalanx.
" About six and a-half o'clock Sunday morning, a fire
broke out in the extensive mills of the North American
Phalanx, located in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
The fire was first discovered near the center of the main
edifice, and had at that time gained great headway. It
is supposed to have originated in the eastern portion of
the building, and a strong easterly wind prevailing at
the time, the flames were carried toward the center and
western part of the edifice. This was a wooden build-
ing about one hundred feet square, three stories high,
with a thirty horse-power steam-engine in the basement,
and two run of burr-stones and superior machinery for
the manufacture of flour, meal, hominy and samp, on the
floors above. Adjoining the mill on the north was the
general business office, containing the account books of
the Association, the most valuable of which were saved
by Mr. Sears at the risk of his life. Adjoining the
office was the saw-mill, blacksmith-shop, tin-shop, etc.,
with valuable machinery, driven by the engine, all of
which was destroyed. About two thousand bushels
of wheat and corn were stored in the mill directly over
the engine, which, in falling, covered it so as to preserve
the machinery from the fire. There was a large quantity
496 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
of hominy and flour and feed destroyed with the mill.
The carpenters' shop, a little south of the grain mill,
was saved by great exertion of all the members, men
and women. All else in that vicinity is a smouldering
mass. Nothing was insured but the stock, valued at
$3,000, for two-thirds that amount. The loss is from
$ 7,000 to $ 10,000."
Alcander Longley, at present the editor of a Com-
munist paper, was a member of the North American,
and should be good authority on its history. He
connects this fire very closely with the breaking-up of
the Phalanx. In a criticism of one of Brisbane's late
socialistic schemes, he says :
" A little reminiscence just here. We were a member
of the North American Phalanx. A fire burned our
mills and shops one unlucky night. We had plenty of
land left and plenty else to do. But we called the
' money bags ' [stockholders] together for more stock to
rebuild with. Instead of subscribing more, they dis-
solved the concern, because it didn't pay enough
dividend ! And the honest resident working members
were scattered and driven from the home they had
labored so hard and long for years to make. Would
Mr. Brisbane repeat such a farce .'' "
Yet it appears that the crippled Phalanx lingered
another year ; for we find the following in the editorial
correspondence of Life Illustrated ^or August 1855 :
Last Picture of the North American.
"After supper (the hour set apart for which is from
five to six o'clock) the lawn, gravel walks and little lake
in front of the Phalanstery, present an animated and
charming scene. We look out upon it from our window.
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 497
Nearly the whole population of the place is out of doors.
Happy papas and mammas draw their baby wagons,
with their precious freight of smiling innocence, along
the wide walks ; groups of little girls and boys frolic in
the clover under the big walnut-trees by the side of the
pond ; some older children and young ladies are out on
the water in their light canoes, which they row with the
dexterity of sailors ; men and women are standing here
and there in groups engaged in conversation, while
others are reclining on the soft grass ; and several young
ladies in their picturesque working and walking cos-
tume— a short dress or tunic coming to the knees, and
loose pantaloons — are strolling down the road toward
the shaded avenue which leads to the highway.
"There seems to be a large measure of quiet happi-
ness here ; but the place is now by no means a gay one.
If we observe closely we see a shadow of anxiety on
most countenances. The future is no longer assured.
Henceforth it must be ' each for himself,' in isolation
and antagonism. Some of these people have been
clamorous for a dissolution of the Association, which
they assert has, so far as they are concerned at least,
proved a failure ; but some of them, we have fancied,
now look forward with more fear than hope to the day
which shall sunder the last material ties which bind
them to their associates in this movement."
The following from the Social Revolutionist, January,
1856, was written apparently in the last moments of the
Phalanx.
[Alfred Cridge's Diagnosis in Articulo Mortis.]
"The North American Phalanx has decided to dis-
solve. When I visited it two years since it seemed to
498 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
be managed by practical men, and was in many respects
thriving. The domain was well cultivated, labor well
paid, and the domestic department well organized.
With the exception of the single men's apartments
being overcrowded, comfort reigned supreme. The
following were some of the defects :
" I. The capital was nearly all owned by non-resi-
dents, who invested it, however, without expectation of
profit, as the stock was always below par, yielding at
that time but 4 1-2 per cent, of interest, which was a
higher rate than that formerly allowed. Probably the
majority of the Community were hard workers, many of
them to the extent of neglecting mental culture. I was
informed that they generally lived from hand to mouth,
saving nothing, though living was cheap, rent not high,
and the par rate of wages ninety cents for ten hours,
but varying from sixty cents to $ 1.20, according to skill,
efficiency, unpleasantness, etc. Nearly all those who
did save, invested in more profitable stock, leaving
absentees to keep up an Association in which they had
no particular interest. As the generality of those on the
ground gave no tangible indications of any particular
interest in the movement, it is no matter of surprise that,
notwithstanding the zeal, of a few disinterested philan-
thropists engaged in it, the institution failed to meet the
sanguine expectations of its projectors.
" 2. They neglected the intellectual and aesthetic ele-
ment. Some residents there attributed the failure of
the Brook Farm Association to an undue predominance
of these, and so ran into the opposite error. A well-
known engraver in Philadelphia wished to reside at the
Phalanx and practice his profession ; but no ; he must
work on the farm ; if allowed to join, he would not be
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 499
permitted to follow his attractions. So he did not come.
"3. The immediate causes of the dissolution of both
Associations were disastrous fires, and no way attribu-
table to the principles on which they were based.
" 4. The formation of Victor Considerant's colony in
Texas probably hastened the dissolution of the Phalanx,
as many of the members preferred establishing them-
selves in a more genial latitude, to working hard one
year or two for nothing, which they must have done, to
regain the loss of $ 20,000 by fire, to say nothing of the
indirect loss occasioned by the want of the buildings.
"Thus endeth the North American Phalanx! Requi-
escat in pace ! Where is the Phoenix Association that is
to arise from its ashes .''
" P. S. Since the above was written, the domain of
the North American Phalanx has been sold."
N. C. Meeker, who wrote those enthusiastic letters
from the Trumbull Phalanx (now one of the editors of
the Tribune), is the author of the following picturesque
account of the North American, which we will call its
Post Mortem and Requiem, by an old Fourierist.
[From the New York Tribune of November 3, 1866.]
" Once in about every generation, attention is called
to our social system. Many evils seem to grow from it.
A class of men peculiarly organized, unite to condemn
the whole structure. If public affairs are tranquil, they
attempt to found a new system. So repeatedly and for
so many ages has this been done, that it must be said
that the effort arises from an aspiration. The object is
not destructive, but beneficent. Twenty-five years ago
an attempt was made in most of the Northern States.
There are signs that another is about to be made. To
500 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
those who are interested, a history of life in a Phalanx
will be instructive. It is singular that none of the
many thousand Fourierists have related their experi-
ence. (!) Recently I visited the old grounds of the North
American Phalanx. Additional information is brought
from a similar institution [the Trumbull] in a Western
State. Light will be thrown on the problem ; it will
not solve it.
" Four miles from Red Bank, Monmouth County,
New Jersey, six hundred acres of land were selected
about twenty years ago, for a Phalanx on the plan of
Fourier. The founders lived in New York, Albany and
other places. The location was fortunate, the soil natu-
rally good, the scenery pleasing and the air healthful.
It would have been better to have been near a shipping-
port. The road from Red Bank was heavy sand.
" First, a large building was erected for families ;
afterward, at a short distance, a spacious mansion was
built, three stories high, with a front of one hundred and
fifty feet, and a wing of one hundred and fifty feet. It
is still standing in good repair, and is about to be used
for a school. The rooms are of large size and well
finished, the main hall spacious, airy, light and elegant.
Grape-vines were trained by the side of the building,
flowers were cultivated, and the adjoining ground was
planted with shade-trees. Two orchards of every variety
of choice fruit (one of forty acres) were planted, and
small fruits and all kinds of vegetables were raised on a
large scale. The Society were the first to grow okra or
gumbo for the New York market, and those still living
there continue its cultivation and control supplies. A
durable stream ran near by ; on its banks were pleasant
walks, which are unchanged, shaded by chestnut and
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 5OI
walnut trees. On this stream they built a first-class
grist-mill. Not only did it do good work, but they estab-
lished the manufacture of hominy and other products
which gave them a valued reputation, and the profits of
this mill nearly earned their bread.
" It was necessary to make the soil highly productive,
and many German and other laborers were employed.
The number of members was about one hundred, and
visitors were constant. Of all the Associations, this
was the best, and on it were fixed the hopes of the
reformers. The chief pursuit was agriculture. Educa-
tion was considered important, and they had good
teachers and schools. Many young persons owed to the
Phalanx an education which secured them honorable and
profitable situations.
"The society was select, and it was highly enjoyed.
To this day do members, and particularly women, look
back to that period as the happiest in their lives.
Young people have few proper wishes which were not
gratified. They seemed enclosed within walls which
beat back the storms of life. They were surrounded by
whatever was useful, innocent and beautiful. Neighbor-
hood quarrels were unknown, nor was there trouble
among children. There were a few white-eyed women
who liked to repeat stories, but they soon sunk' to their
true value.
"After they had lived this life fourteen years,* their
mill burned down. Mr. Greeley offered to lend them
* To be exact, this should be eleven years instead of fourteen. The
Phalanx commenced operations in September, 1843, ^"^^ the fire occurred
in September, 1854. The whole duration of the experiment was only a
little over twelve years, as the domain was sold, according to Alfred
Cridge, in the winter of 1855 — 6.
502 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS,
$ 12,000 to rebuild it. They were divided on the subject
of location. Some wanted to build at Red Bank, to
save hauling. They could not agree. But there was
another subject on which they did agree. Some sug-
gested that they had better not build at all ! that they
had better dissolve ! The question was put, and to
every one's surprise, decided that they would dissolve.
Accordingly the property was sold, and it brought sixty-
six cents on a dollar. In a manner the sale was forced.
Previously the stockholders had been receiving yearly
dividends, and they lost little.
" While the young had been so happy, and while the
women, with some exceptions, enjoyed society, with
scarcely a cause for disquiet, fathers had been con-
sidering the future prospects of those they loved. The
pay for their work was out of the profits, and on a joint-
stock principle. Work was credited in hours, and on
striking a dividend, one hour had produced a certain
sum. A foreman, a skillful man, had an additional
reward. It was five cents a day. One of the chief
foremen told me that after working all day with the
Germans, and working hard, so that there would be no
delay he had to arrange what each was to do in the
morning. Often he would be awakened by falling rain.
He would long be sleepless in re-arranging his plans.
A skillful teacher got an additional five cents. All this
was in accordance with democratic principles. I was
told that the average wages did not exceed twenty cents
a day. You see capital drew a certain share which
labor had to pay. But this was of no consequence,
providing the institution was perpetual. There they
could live and die. Some, however, ran in debt each
year. With large families and small wages, they could
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 503
not hold their own. These men had long been uneasy.
" There was a public table where all meals were eaten.
At first there was a lack of conveniences, and there was
much hard work. Mothers sent their children to school,
and became cooks and chamber-maids. The most en-
ergetic lady took charge of the washing group. This
meant she had to work hardest. Some of the best
women, though filled with enthusiasm for the cause,
broke down with hard work. Afterward there were
proper conveniences ; but they did not prevent the
purchase of hair-dye. The idea that woman in Asso-
ciation was to be relieved of many cares, was not
realized.
"On some occasions, perhaps for reasons known at
the time, there was a scarcity of victuals. One morning
all they had to eat was buckwheat cakes and water. I
think they must have had salt. In another Phalanx,
one breakfast was mush. Every member felt ashamed.
"The combined order had been strongly recommended
for its economies. All articles were to be purchased at
wholesale ; food would be cheaper ; and cooking when
done for many by a few, would cost little. In practice
there were developments not looked for. The men
were not at all alike. Some so contrived their work as
not to be distant at meal-time. They always heard the
first ringing of the bell. In the preparation of food,
naturally, there will be small quantities which are choice.
In families these are thought much of, and are dealt out
by a mother's good hands. They come last. But here,
in the New Jerusalem, those who were ready to eat,
seized upon such the first thing. If they could get
enough of it, they would eat nothing else.
" You know that in all kinds of business there must
504 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
be men to see that nothing is neglected. On a farm
teams must be fed and watered, cattle driven up or out,
and bars or gates closed. They who did these things
were likely to come to their meals late. They were
sweaty and dirty, their feet dragged heavy. First they
must wash. On sitting down they had to rest a little.
Naturally they would look around. At such times one's
wife watches him. At a glance she can see a cloud pass
across his face. He need not speak to tell her his
thoughts. She can read him better than a Bible in
large type. In one Phalanx where I was acquainted,
the public table was thrown up in disgust, like a pack of
unlucky cards.
" But our North Americans were determined. To
give to all as good food as the early birds were getting,
it was necessary to provide large quantities. When this
was done, living became very expensive and the econo-
mies of Association disappeared.
" They had to take another step. They established
an eating-house on what is called the European plan.
The plainest and the choicest food was provided. What-
ever one might desire he could have. His meal might
cost him ten cents or five dollars. When he finished
eating he received a counter or ticket, and went to the
office and settled. He handed over his ticket, and the
amount printed on it was charged to him. For in-
stance, a man has the following family : first, wifey, and
then, George, Emily, Mary, Ralph and Rosa. They sit
at a table by themselves, unless wifey is in the kitchen,
with a red face, baking buckwheat cakes with all her
might. They select their breakfast — a bill of fare is
printed every day — and they have ham and eggs, fifteen
cents ; sausage, ten cents ; cakes, fifteen cents ; fish,
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 505
ten cents ; and a cup of coffee and six glasses of water,
five cents ; total, fifty-five cents, which is charged, and
they go about their business. If wifey had been to
work, she would eat afterward, and though she too
would have to pay, she was credited with cake-baking.
One should be so charitable as to suppose that she
earned enough to pay for the meal that she ate sitting
sideways. To keep these accounts, a book-keeper was
required all day. One would think this a curious way ;
but it was the only one by which they could choke off"
the birds of prey. One would think, too, that Rosa,
Mary and .Co., might have helped get breakfast ; but the
plan was to get rid of drudgery.
"Again, there was another class. They were sociable
and amiable men. Everybody liked to hear them talk,
and chiefly they secured admission for these qualities.
Unfortunately they did not bring much with them. All
through life they had been unlucky. There was what
was called the Council of Industry, which discussed and
decided all plans and varieties of work. With them
originated every new enterprise. If a man wanted an
order for goods at a store, they granted or refused it.
Some of these amiable men would be elected members ;
it was easy for them to get office, and they greatly
directed in all industrial operations. At the same time
those really practical would attempt to counteract these
men ; but they could not talk well, though they tried
hard. I have never seen men desire more to be elo-
quent than they ; their most powerful appeals were when
they blushed with silent indignation. But there was
one thing they could do well, and that was to grumble
while at work. They could make an impression then.
Fancy the result.
506 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"Lastly: the rooms where famiHes lived adjoined
each other, or were divided by long halls. Young men
do not always go to bed early. Perhaps they would be
out late sparking, and they returned to their rooms
before morning. A man was apt to call to mind the
words of the country mouse lamenting that he had left
his hollow tree. Sometimes one had a few words to say
to his wife when he was not in good humor on account
of bad digestion. When some one overheard him, they
would think of her delicate blooming face, and her ear-
rings and finger-rings, and wonder, but keep silent ;
while others thought that they had a good thing to tell
of But let no one be troubled. These two will cling
to each other, and nothing but death can separate them.
He will bear these things a long time, winking with
both eyes ; but at last he thinks that they should have
a little more room, and she heartily agrees.
''Fourteen years make along period. At last they
learned that it was easy enough to get lazy men, but
practical and thorough business men were scarce. Five
cents a day extra was not sufficient to secure them. A
promising, ambitious young man growing up among
them, did not see great inducements. He heard of the
world ; men made money there. His curiosity was
great. One can see that the Association was likely to
be childless.
"Learning these things which Fourier had not set
down, their mill took fire. Still they were out of debt.
They were doing well. The soil had been brought to a
high state of cultivation. Of the fifteen or twenty
Associations through the country, their situation and
advantages were decidedly superior. I inquired of the
old members remaining on the ground, and who bought
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 507
the property and are doing well, the reason for their
failure. They admit there was no good reason to pre-
vent their going on, except the disposition. But Fourier
did not recommend starting with less than eighteen hun-
dred. When I asked them what would have been the
result if they had had this number, they said they would
have broken up in less than two years. Generally men
are not prepared. Association is for the future.
" I found one still sanguine. He believes there are
now men enough afloat, successfully to establish an
Association. They should quietly commence in a town.
There should be means for doing work cheaply by
machinery. A few hands can wash and iron for several
hundred in the same manner as it is done in our public
institutions. Baking, cooking and sewing can be done
in the same way. There is no disputing the fact that
these means did not exist twenty years ago. Gradually
family after family could be brought together. In time a
whole town would be captured.
"The plausible and the easy again arise in this age.
Let no one mistake a mirage for a real image. Disaster
will attend any attempt at social reform, if the marriage
relation is even suspected to be rendered less happy.
The faimily is a rock against which all objects not only
will dash in vain, but they will fall shivered at its base.
" N. C. M."
But even marriage and family, rocks though they are,
have to yield to earthquakes : and Fourierism, in which
Meeker delighted, was one of the upheavals that have
unsettled them. They will have to be reconstructed.
The latest visitor to the remains of the North Ameri-
can whose observations have fallen under our notice, is
Mr. E, H. Hamilton, a leading member of the Oneida
508 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Community. His letter in the Circular of April 13,
1868, will be a fitting conclusion to this account; as
well for the new peep it gives us into the causes of
failure, as for its appropriate reflections.
Why the North American Phalanx failed.
''New York, March 31, 1868.
" Business called me a short time ago to visit the
domain once occupied by the North American Phalanx.
The gentleman whom I wished to see, lesided in a part
of the old mansion, once warm and lively with the daily
activities and bright anticipations of enthusiastic Asso-
ciationists. The closed windows and silent halls told of
failure and disappointment. When individuals or a
Community push out of the common channel, and with
great self-sacrifice seek after a better life, their failure is
as disheartening as their success would have been cheer-
ing. Why did they fail .''
" The following story from an old member and eye-
witness whom I chanced to meet in the neighboring vil-
lage, impressed me, and was so suggestive that I entered
it in my note-book. After inquiring about the Oneida
Community, he told his tale almost word for word, as
follows :
C. — My interest in Association turns entirely on its
relations to industry. In our attempt, a number of
persons came together possessed of small means and
limited ideas. After such a company has struggled on a
few years as we did, resolutely contending with difficul-
ties, a vista will open, light will break in upon them, and
they will see a pathway opening. So it was with us.
We prospered in finances. Our main business grew
better ; but the mill with which it was connected grew
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 509
poorer, till the need of a new building was fairly before
us. One of our members offered to advance the money
to erect a new mill. A stream was surveyed, a site
selected. One of our neighbors whose land we wanted
to flow, held off for a bonus. This provoked us and we
dropped the project for the time. At this juncture it
occurred to some of us to put up a steam-mill at Red
Bank. This was the vista that opened to us. Here we
would be in water-communication with New York city.
Some $2,000 a year would be saved in teaming. This
steam-mill would furnish power for other industries.
Our mechanics would follow, and the mansion at Red
Bank become the center of the Association, and finally
the center of, the town. Our secretary was absent dur-
ing this discussion. I was fearful he would not approve
of the project, and told some of our members so. On
his return we laid the plan before him, and he said no.
This killed the Phalanx. A number of us were dissatis-
fied with this decision, and thirty left in a body to start
another movement, which broke the back of the Asso-
ciation. The secretary was one of our most enthusiastic
members and a man of good judgment ; but he let his
fears govern him in this matter. I believe he sees his
mistake now. The organization lingered along two
years, when the old mill took fire and burned down ; arid
it became necessary to close up affairs.
E. H. H. — Would it not have been better if your
company of thirty had been patient, and gone on quietly
till the others were converted to your views .'' If truth
were on your side, it would in time have prevailed over
their objections.
C. — I would not give a cent for a person's conversion.
When a truth is submitted to a body of persons, a few
5IO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
only will accept it. The great body can not, because
their minds are unprepared.
E. H. H. — How did your company succeed in their
new movement }
C. — We failed because we made a mistake. The
great mistake Associationists every where rhade, all
through these movements, was to locate in obscure
places which were unsuitable for becoming business
centers. Fourier's system is based on a township. An
Association to be successful must embrace a township.
E. H. H. — Well, suppose you get together a number
sufficient to form a township, and become satisfactorily
organized, will there not still remain this liability to be
broken up by diversity of judgments arising, as in the
instance you have just related to me.''
C. — No ; let the movement be organized aright and it
might break up every day and not fail.
" Here ended the conversation. The story interested
me especially, because it taught so clearly that the suc-
cess of Communism depends upon something else
besides money-making. When Hepworth Dixon visited
this country and inquired about the Oneida Community,
Horace Greeley told him he would 'find the O. C. a
trade success.' Now according to C.'s story the North
American Phalanx entered the stage of ' trade success,'
and then failed because it lacked the faculty of agree-
ment. It is patent to every person of good sense, that
' a house divided against itself can not stand.' Divisions
in a household, in an army, in a nation, are disastrous,
and unless healed, are finally fatal. The great lesson
that the Oneida Community has been learning, is,
that agreement is possible. In cases where diversity
of judgment has arisen, we have always secured
END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN. 51I
unanimity by being patient with each other, waiting,
and submitting all minds to the Spirit of Truth. We
have experienced this result over and over again, until it
has become a settled conviction through the Community,
that when a project is brought forward for discussion,
the best thing will be done, and we shall all be of one
mind about it. How many times questions have arisen
that would have destroyed us like the North American
Phalanx, were it not for this ability to come to an agree-
ment ! Prosperity puts this power of harmony to a
greater test than adversity. When we built our new
house, how many were the different minds about
material, location, plan ! How were our feelings wrought
up! Party-spirit ran high. There was the stone party,
the brick party, and the concrete-wall party. Yet by
patience, forbearing one with another and submitting
one to another, the final result satisfied every one.
Unity is the essential thing. Secure that, and financial
success and all other good things will follow."
512 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM TO FOURIERISM.
At the beginning of our history of the Fourier epoch,
we gave an account of the origin of the Brook Farm
Association in 1841, and traced its career till the latter
part of 1843. So far we found it to be an original
American experiment, not affiliated to Fourier, but to
Dr. Channing ; and we classed it with the Hopedale,
Northampton and Skaneateles Communities, as one of
the preparations for Fourierism. Now, at the close of
our history, we must return to Brook Farm and follow
it through its transformation into a Fourierist Phalanx,
and its career as a public teache:- and propagandist.
In the final number of the Dial, dated April 1844,
Miss E. P. Peabody published an article on Fourierism,
which commences as follows :
"In the last week of December, 1843, and first week
of January, 1844, a convention was held in Boston,
which may be considered as the first publication of
Fourierism in this region.
" The works of Fourier do not seem to have reached
us, and this want of text has been ill supplied by
various conjectures respecting them ; some of which
are more remarkable for the morbid imagination they
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 513
display than for their sagacity. For ourselves we
confess to some remembrances of vague horror con-
nected with this name, as if it were some enormous
parasitic plant, sucking the life principles of society,
while it spread apparently an equal shade, inviting
man to repose under its beautiful but poison-dropping
branches. We still have a certain question about
Fourierism, considered as a catholicon for evil ; but our
absurd, horrors were dissipated, and a feeling of genuine
respect for the friends of the movement ensured, as we
heard the exposition of the doctrine of Association, by
Mr. Channing and others. That name [Channing]
already consecrated to humanity, seemed to us to have
worthily fallen, with the mantle of the philanthropic
spirit, upon this eloquent expounder of Socialism ; in
whose voice and countenance, as well as in his plead-
ings for humanity, the spirit of his great kinsman
still seemed to speak. We can not sufficiently la-
ment that there was no reporter of the speech of
Mr. Channing."
At the close of this article Miss Peabody says :
" We understand that Brook Farm has become a
Fourierist establishment. We rejoice in this, because
such persons as form that Association, will give it a fair
experiment. We wish it Godspeed. May it become a
University, where the young American shall learn his
duties, and become worthy of this broad land of his in-
heritance."
William H. Channing, in the Present, January 15,
1844, gives an account of this same Boston convention,
from which we extract as follows :
" This convention marked an era in the history of
514 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
New England. It was the commencement of a public
movement upon the subject of social reform, which will
flow on, wider, deeper, stronger, until it has proved in
deeds the practicability of societies organized, from their
central principle of faith to the minutest detail of indus-
try and pleasure, according to the order of love. This
movement has been long gathering. A hundred rills
and rivers of humanity have fed it.
"The number of attendants and their interest in-
creased to the end, as was manifested by the continu-
ance of the meetings from Wednesday, December 27th,
when the convention had expected to adjourn, through
Thursday and Friday. The convention was organized
by the choice of William Bassett, of Lynn, as President ;
of Adin Ballou, of Hopedale, G. W. Benson, of North-
ampton, George Ripley, of Brook Farm, and James N.
Buffum, of Lynn, as Vice-Presidents ; and of Eliza J.
Kenney, of Salem, and Charles A. Dana, of Brook
Farm, as Secretaries. The Associations of Northamp-
ton, Hopedale and Brook Farm, were each well
represented.
" It was instructive to observe that practical and sci-
entific men constantly confirmed, and often apparently
without being aware of it, the doctrines of social science
as announced by Fourier. Indeed, in proportion to the
degree of one's intimacy with this profound student of
harmony, does respect increase for his admirable intel-
lectual power, his foresight, sagacity, completeness.
And for one, I am desirous to state, that the chief
reason which prevents my most public confession of
confidence in him as the one teacher now most needed,
is, that honor for such a patient and conscientious inves-
tigator demands, of all who would justify his views, a
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 515
simplicity of affection, an extent and accuracy of
knowledge, an intensity of thought, to which very few
can now lay claim. Quite far am I from saying, that as
now enlightened, I adopt all his opinions; on the con-
trary, there are some I reject ; but it is a pleasure to
express gratitude to Charles Fourier, for having opened
a whole new world of study, hope and action. It does
seem to me, that he has given us the clue out of our
scientific labyrinth, and revealed the means of living the
law of love."
The Phala7ix of February 5, 1844, refers to the rev-
olution going on at Brook Farm, as follows:
" The Brook Farm Association, near Boston, is now
in process of transformation and extension from its
former condition of an educational establishment mainly,
to a regularly organized Association, embracing the
various departments of industry, art and science. At
the head of this movement, are George Ripley, Minot
Pratt and Charles A. Dana. We can not speak in too
high terms of these men and their enterprise. They are
gentlemen of high standing in the community, and unite
in an eminent degree, talent, scientific attainments and
refinement, with great practical energy and experience.
This Association has a fine spiritual basis in those
already connected with it, and we hope that it will be
able to rally to its aid the industrial skill and capital
necessary to organize an Association, in which produc-
tive labor, art, science, and the social and the religious
affections, will be so wisely and beautifully blended and
combined, that they will lend reciprocal strength, sup-
port, elevation and refinement to each other, and secure
abundance, give health to the body, development and
5l6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
expansion to the mind, and exaltation to the soul. We
are convinced that there are abundant means and
material in New England now ready to form a fine
Association ; they have only to be sought out and
brought together."
From these hints it is evident that the Brook Farmers
were fully converted to Fourierism in the winter of
1843 — 4, and that William H. Channing led the way
in this conversion. He had been publishing the
Present since September 1843, side by side with the
Phalanx (which commenced in October of that year) ;
and though he, like the rest of the Massachusetts
Socialists, began with some shyness of Fourierism, he
had gradually fallen into the Brisbane and Greeley
movement, till at last the Present was hardly dis-
tinguishable in its general drift from the Phalanx.
Accordingly in April, 1844, just at the time when the
Dial ended its career, as we have seen, with a con-
fession of quaai-conversion to Fourierism, the Present
also concluded its labors with a twenty-five-page ex-
position of Fourier's system, and the Phalanx assumed
its subscription list.
The connection of the Channings with Fourierism,
then, stands thus: Dr. Channing, the first medium of
the Unitarian afiflatus, was the father (by suggestion)
of the Brook Farm Association, which was originally
called the West Roxbury Community. William H.
Channing, the second medium according to Miss
Peabodyr converted this Community to Fourierism
and changed it into a Phalanx. The Dial, which
Emerson says was also a suggestion of Dr. Channing,
and the Present, which was edited by William H.
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 517
Channing, ended their careers in the same month, both
haihng the advent of Fourierism, and the Phalanx
and Harbinger became their successors.
-The Dial and Present, in thus surrendering their
Roxbury daughter as a bride to Fourierism, did not
neglect to give her with their dying breath some good
counsel and warning. We will grace our pages with
a specimen from each. Miss Peabody in the Dial
moralizes thus :
"The social passions, set free to act, do not carry
within them their own rule, nor the pledge of confer-
ring happiness. They can only get this from the free
action upon them of the intellectual passions which
constitute human reason.
"But these functions of reason, do they carry within
themselves the pledge of their own continued health
and harmonious action }
" Here Fourierism stops short, and, in so doing,
proves itself to be, not a life, a soul, but only a body.
It may be a magnificent body for humanity to dwell
in for a season ; and one for which it may be wise to
quit old diseased carcases, which now go by the proud
name of civilization. But if its friends pretend for it
any higher character than that of a body, thus turning
men from seeking for principles of life essentially
above organization, it will prove but another, perhaps
a greater curse.
"The question is, whether the Phalanx acknowledges
its own limitations of nature, in being an organization,
or opens up any avenue into the source of life that shall
keep it sweet, enabling it to assimilate to itself contrary
elements, and consume its own waste ; so that, phoenix-
5l8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
like, it may renew itself forever in greater and finer
forms.
" This question, the Fourierists in the convention,
from whom alone we have learned any thing of Fourier-
ism, did not seem to have considered. But this is a
vital point.
" The life of the world is now the Christian life. For
eighteen centuries, art, literature, philosophy, poetry,
have followed the fortunes of the Christian idea. An-
cient history is the history of the apotheosis of nature,
or natural religion ; modern history is the history of an
idea, or revealed religion. In vain will any thing try to
be, which is not supported thereby. Fourier does hom-
age to Christianity with many words. But this may be
cant, though it thinks itself sincere. Besides, there are
many things which go by the name of Christianity, that
are not it.
"Let the Fourierists see to it, that there be freedom
in their Phalan.xes for churches, unsupported by their
material organization, and lending them no support on
their material side. Independently existing, within them
but not of them, feeding on ideas, forgetting that which
is behind petrified into performance, and pressing on to
the stature of the perfect man, they will finally spread
themselves in spirit over the whole body.
" In fine, it is our belief, that unless the Fourierist
bodies are made alive by Christ, ' their constitution will
not march ;' and the galvanic force of reaction, by which
they move for a season, will not preserve them from
corruption. As the corruption of the best is the worst,
the warmer the friends of Fourierism are, the more
awake should they be to this danger, and the more
energetic to avert it."
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 519
Charles Lane in the Present discoursed still more pro-
foundly, as follows :
" Some questions, of a nice importance, may be con-
sidered by the Phalanx before they set out, or at least
on the journey, for they will have weighty, nay, decisive
influences on the final result. One of these, perhaps
the one most deserving attention, nay, perhaps that
upon which all others hinge, is the adjustment of those
human affections, out of which the present family
arrangements spring. In a country like the United
States of North America, where food is very cheap, and
all the needs of life lie close to the industrious hand, it
is very rare to find a family of old parents with their
sons and daughters married and residing under the same
roof The universal bond is so weak, or the individual
bond is so strong, that one married pair is deemed a
sufficient swarm of human bees to hive off and form a
new colony. How, then, can it be hoped that there is
universal affection sufficient to unite many such families
in one body for the common good .'' If, with the natural
affections to aid the attempt to meliorate the hardships
and difficulties in natural life, it is rare, nay, almost im-
possible, to unite three families in one bond of fellow-
ship, how shall a greater number be brought together .■'
If, in cases where the individual characters are known,
can be relied on, are trusted with each other's affections,
property and person, such union can not be formed, how
shall it be constructed among strangers, or doubtful, or
untried characters .'' The pressing necessities in isolated
families, the great advantages in even the smallest
union, are obvious to all, not least to the country fami-
lies in this land ; yet they unite not, but out of every
pair of affectionate hearts they construct a new roof-
520 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
tree, a new hearth-stone, at which they worship as at
their exclusive altar.
"Is there some secret leaven in this conjugal mixture,
which declares all other union to be out of the possible
affinities .■* Is this mixture of male and female so very-
potent, as to hinder universal or even general union .-'
Surely it can not happen, in all those numerous instan-
ces wherein re-unions of families would obviously work
so advantageously for all parties, that there are qualities
of mind so foreign and opposed, that no one could
beneficially be consummated. Or is it certain, that in
these natural affections and their consequences in liv-
ing offspring, there is an element so subversive of gen-
eral Association that the two can not co-exist .-* The
facts seem to maintain such a hypothesis. History has
not yet furnished one instance of combined individual
and universal life. Prophecy holds not very strong or
clear language on the point. Plato scarcely fancied the
possible union of the two affections ; the religious
Associations of past or present times have not attemp-
ted it ; and Fourier, the most sanguine of all futurists,
does not deliver very succinct or decisive oracles on the
subject.
" Can we make any approximation to axiomatical
truth for ourselves .'' May we not say that it is no
more possible for the human affections to flow at once
in two opposite directions, than it is for a stream of
water to do so.-* A divided heart is an impossibility.
We must either serve the universal (God), or the indi-
vidual (Mammon). Both we can not serve. Now,
marriage, as at present constituted, is most decidedly
an individual, and not a universal act. It is an in-
dividual act, too, of a depreciated and selfish kind.
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 52 1
The spouse is an expansion and enlargement of one's
self, and the children participate of the same nature.
The all-absorbent influence of this union is too obvious
to be dwelt upon. It is used to justify every glaring
and cruel act of selfish acquisition. It is made the
ground-work of the institution of property, which is
itself the foundation of so many evils. This insti-
tution of property and its numerous auxiliaries must be
abrogated in associative life, or it will be little better
than isolated life. But it can not, it will not be re-
pealed, so long as marital unions are indulged in ; for,
up to this very hour, we are celebrating the act as the
most sacred on earth, and what is called providing for
the family, as the most onerous and holy duty.
" The lips of the purest living advocates of human
improvement, Pestalozzi, J. P. Greaves and others, are
scarcely silent from the most strenuous appeals to
mothers, to develop in their offspring the germs of all
truth, as the highest resource for the regeneration of our
race ; and we are now turning round upon them and de-
claring, that naught but a deeper development of mortal
selfishness can result from such a course. At least such
seems to be a consequence of the present argument.
Yet, if it be true, we must face it. This is at least an
inquiry which must be answered. It is certain, indeed,
that if there be a source of truth in the human soul,
deeper than all selfishness, it may be consciously opened
by appeals which shall enforce their way beneath the
human selfishness which is superincumbent on the divine
origin. Then we may possibly be at work on that
ground whereon universal Association can be based.
But must not, therefore, individual (or dual) union cease.''
Here is our predicament. It haunts us at every turn ;
522 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
as the poets represent the disturbed wanderings of a de-
parted spirit. And reconciliation of the two is not yet
so clearly revealed to the faithful soul, as the headlong
indulgence is practiced by the selfish. It is an axiom
that new results can only be arrived at by action on new
principles, or in new modes. The old principle and
mode of isolated families has not led to happy results.
This is a fact admitted on all hands. Let us then try
what the consociate, or universal family will produce.
But, then, let us not seduce ourselves- by vain hopes.
Let us not fail to see, that to this end the individual
selfishness, or, if so they must be called, the holy gratifi-
cations of human nature, must be sacrificed and
subdued. As has been affirmed above, the two can
not be maintained together. We must either cling to
heaven, or abide on earth ; we must adhere to the divine,
or indulge in the human attractions. We must either be
wedded to God or to our fellow humanity. To speak in
academical language, the conjunction in this case is the
disjunctive 'or,' not the copulative 'and.' Roth these
marriages, that is, of the soul with God, and of soul with
soul, can not exist together. It remains, therefore, for
us, for the youthful spirit of the present, for the faith-
fully intelligent and determinedly true, to say which of
the two marriages they will entertain."
In consummation of their union with Fourierism, the
Brook Farmers formed and published a new constitution,
confessing in its preamble their conversion, and offering
themselves to Socialists at large as a nucleus for a model
Phalanx. They say :
"The Association at Brook Farm has now been in
existence upwards of two years. Originating in the
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 523
thought and experience of a few individuals, it has hith-
erto worn, for the most part, the character of a private
experiment, and has avoided rather than sought the
notice of the pubhc. It has, until the present time,
seemed fittest to those engaged in this enterprise to
publish no statements of their purposes or methods, to
make no promises or declarations, but quietly and sin-
cerely to realize as far as might be possible, the great
ideas which gave the central impulse to their movement.
It has been thought that a steady endeavor to embody
these ideas more and more perfectly in life, would give
the best answer, both to the hopes of the friendly and
the cavils of the skeptical, and furnish in its results the
surest grounds for any larger efforts.
"Meanwhile every step has strengthened the faith
with which we set out ; our belief in a divine order of
human society, has in our own minds become an abso-
lute certainty ; and considering the present state of
humanity and of social science, we do not hesitate to
affirm that the world is much nearer the attainment of
such a condition than is generally supposed. The deep
interest in the doctrine of Association which now fills
the minds of intelligent persons every where, indicates
plainly that the time has passed when even initiative
movements ought to be prosecuted in silence, and makes
it imperative on all who have either a theoretical or prac-
tical knowledge of the subject, to give their share to the
stock of public information.
"Accordingly we have taken occasion at several public
meetings recently held in Boston, to state some of the
results of our studies and experience, and we desire here
to say emphatically, that while on the one hand we yield
an unqualified assent to that doctrine of universal unity
524 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
which Fourier teaches, so on the other, our whole
observation has shown us the truth of the practical
arrangements which he deduces therefrom. The law of
groups and series is, as we are convinced, the law of
human nature, and when men are in true social relations
their industrial organization will necessarily assume
those forms.
"But beside the demand for information respecting
the principles of Association, there is a deeper call for
action in the matter. We wish, therefore, to bring
Brook Farm before the public, as a location offering at
least as great advantages for a thorough experiment as
can be found in the vicinity of Boston. It is situated in
West Roxbury, three miles from the depot of the
Dedham Branch Railroad, and about eight miles from
Boston, and combines a convenient nearness to the city,
with a degree of retirement and freedom from unfavora-
ble influences, unusual even in the country. The place
is one of great natural beauty, and indeed the whole
landscape is so rich and various as to attract the notice
even of casual visitors. The farm now owned by the
Association contains two hundred and eight acres, of as
good quality as any land in the neighborhood of Boston,
and can be enlarged by the purchase of land adjoining,
to any necessary extent. The property now in the
hands of the Association is worth nearly or quite thirty
thousand dollars, of which about twenty-two thousand
dollars is invested either in the stock of the company,
or in permanent loans at six per cent., which can remain
as long as the Association may wish.
" The fact that so large an amount of capital is
already invested and at our service, as the basis of
more extensive operations, furnishes a reason why
CONVERSION OF BROOK FARM. 525
Brook Farm should be chosen as the scene of that
practical trial of Association which the public feeling
calls for in this immediate vicinity, instead of forming
an entirely new organization for that purpose. The
completeness of our educational department is also
not to be overlooked. This has hitherto received our
greatest care, and in forming it we have been particu-
larly successful. In any new Association it must be
many years before so many accomplished and skillful
teachers in the various branches of intellectual culture
could be enlisted. Another strong reason is to be found
in the degree of order our organization has already
attained, by the help of which a large Association
might be formed without the losses and inconveniences
which would otherwise necessarily occur. The experi-
ence of nearly three years in all the misfortunes and
mistakes incident to an undertaking so new and so
little understood, carried on throughout by persons not
entirely fitted for the duties they have been compelled
to perform, has, we think, prepared us to assist in the
safe conduct of an extensive and complete Association.
"Such an institution, as will be plain to all, can not
by any sure means be brought at once and full-grown
into existence. It must, at least in the present state of
society, begin with a comparatively small number of
select and devoted persons, and increase by natural and
gradual aggregations. With a view to an ultimate ex-
pansion into a perfect Phalanx, we desire to organize
immediately the three primary departments of labor,
agriculture, domestic industry and the mechanic arts.
For this purpose additional capital will be needed, etc.
George Ripley, Minot Pratt, Charles A. Dana.
''Brook Farm, yanuary i8, 1844."
526 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Here follows the usual appeal for co-operation and
investments. In October following a second edition of
this constitution was issued, in the preamble of which
the officers say:
"The friends of the cause will be gratified to learn,
that the appeal in behalf of l^rook Farm, contained in
the introductory statement of our constitution, has been
generously answered, and that the situation of the Asso-
ciation is highly encouraging. In the half-year that has
elapsed, our numbers have been increased by the addi-
tion of many skillful and enthusiastic laborers in various
departments, and our capital has been enlarged by the
subscription of about ten thousand dollars. Our organi-
zation has acquired a more systematic form, though with
our comparatively small numbers we can only approxi-
mate to truly scientific arrangements. Still with the
unavoidable deficiencies of our groups and series, their
action is remarkable, and fully justifies our anticipations
of great results from applying the principles of universal
order to industry.
" We have made considerable agricultural improve-
ments ; we have erected a work-shop sixty feet by
twenty-eight for mechanics of several trades, some of
which are already in operation ; and we are now engaged
in building a section one hundred and seventy-five feet
by forty, of a Phalanstery or unitary dwelling. Our
first object is to collect those who, from their character
and convictions, are qualified to aid in the experiment
we are engaged in, and to furnish them with convenient
and comfortable habitations, at the smallest possible out-
lay. For this purpose the most careful economy is used,
though we are yet able to attain many of the peculiar
CONVERSION OF. BROOK FARM. 527
advantages of the Associated household. Still for tran-
sitional society, and for comparatively temporary use, a
social edifice can not be made free from the defects of
civilized architecture. When our Phalanx has become
sufficiently large, and has in some measure accomplished
its great purposes, the serial organization of labor and
unitary education, we shall have it in our power to build
a Phalanstery with the magnificence and permanence
proper to such a structure."
Whereupon the appeal for help is repeated. Finally,
in May 1845 this new constitution was published in the
Phala7ix, with a new preamble. In the previous edi-
tions the society had been styled the " Brook Farm
Association for Education and Industry;" but in this
issue. Article i Section i declares that "the name of
this Association shall be The Brook Farm Phalanx."
We quote a few paragraphs from the preamble :
" At the last session of the legislature of Massa-
chusetts, our Association was incorporated under the
name which it now assumes, with the right to hold real
estate to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars.
This confers upon us all the usual powers and privileges
of chartered companies.
" Nothing is now necessary to the greatest possible
measure of success, but capital to furnish sufficient
means to enable us to develop every department to
advantage. This capital we can now apply profitably
and without danger of loss. We are well aware that
there must be risk in investing money in an infant
Association, as well as in any other untried business ;
but with the labors of nearly four years we have arrived
at a point where this risk hardly exists.
528 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"By that increasing number whose most ardent
desire is to see the experiment of Association fairly
tried, we are confident that the appeal we now make will
not be received without the most generous response in
their power. As far as their means and their utmost
exertions can go, they will not suffer so favorable an
opportunity for the realization of their fondest hopes to
pass unimproved. Nor do we call upon Americans
alone, but upon all persons of whatever nation, to whom
the doctrines of universal unity have revealed the destiny
of man. Especially to those noble men who in Europe
have so long and so faithfully labored for the diffusion
and propagation of these doctrines, we address what to
them will be an occasion of the highest joy, an appeal
for fraternal co-operation in behalf of their realization.
We announce to them the dawning of that day for which
they have so hopefully and so bravely waited, the up-
springing of those seeds that they and their compeers
have sown. To them it will seem no exaggeration to
say that we, their younger brethren, invite their assist-
ance in a movement which, however humble it may
superficially appear, is the grandest both in its essential
character and its consequences, that can now be pro-
posed to man ; a movement whose purpose is the
elevation of humanity to its integral rights, and whose
results will be the establishment of happiness and peace
among the nations of the earth.
" By order of the Central Council,
" George Ripley, President.
" West Roxbury, May 20, 1845."
529
CHAPTER XL.
BROOK FARM PROPAGATING FOURIERISM.
Brook Farm having attained the dignity of incorpora-
tion and assumed the title of Phalanx, was ready to
undertake the enterprise of propagating Fourierism.
Accordingly, in the same number of the Phalanx that
published the appeal recited at the close of our last chap-
ter, appeared the prospectus of a new paper to be called
the Harbinger, with the following editorial notice :
" Our subscribers will see by the prospectus that the
name of the Phalanx is to be changed for that of the
Harbinger, and that the paper is to be printed in future
by the Brook Farm Phalanx."
From this time the main function of Brook Farm was
propagandism. It published the Harbinger weekly, with
a zeal and ability of which our readers have seen plenty
of specimens. It also instituted a missionary society
and a lecturing system, of which we will now give some
account.
New York had hitherto been the head-quarters of
Fourierism. Brisbane, Greeley and Godwin, the primary
men of the cause, lived and published there ; the Pha-
lanx was issued there ; the National Conventions had
530 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
been held there ; and there was the seat of the Execu-
tive Committee that made several abortive attempts to
institute a confederation of Associations and a national
organization of Socialists. But after the conversion of
Brook Farm, the center of operations was removed from
New York to Massachusetts. As the Harbinger suc-
ceeded to the subscription-list and propagandism of the
Phalanx, so a new National Union of Socialists, having
its head-quarters nominally at Boston, but really at
Brook Farm, took the place of the old New York Con-
ventions. Of this organization, William H. Channing
was the chief-engineer ; and his zeal and eloquence in
that capacity for a short time, well entitled him to the
honors of the chief Apostle of Fourierism. In fact he
succeeded to the post of Brisbane. This will be seen in
the following selections from the Harbinger:
[From William H. Channing's Appeal to As.sociationists.]
"Brethren :
"Your prompt and earnest co-operation is requested in
fulfilling the design of a society organized May 27, 1846,
at Boston, Massachusetts, by a general convention of
the friends of Association. This design may be learned
from the following extracts from its constitution :
"'I. The name o^ this society shall be the American
Union of Associationists.
"'II. Its purpose shall be the establishment of an or-
der of society based on a system of joint-stock property;
co-operative labor; association of families; equitable
distribution of profits ; mutual guarantees; honors ac-
cording to usefulness; integral education; unity of
interests : which system we believe to be in accord with
the laws of divine providence and the destiny of man.
BROOK FARM AND FOURIERISM. 53 1
"'III. Its method of operation shall be the appoint-
ment of agents, the sending out of lecturers, the issuing
of publications, and the formation of a series of affiili-
ated societies which shall be auxiliary to the parent
society ; in holding meetings, collecting funds, and in
every way diffusing the principles of Association : and
preparing for their practical application, etc'
"We have a solemn and glorious work before us:
I, To indoctrinate the whole people of the United States
with the principles of associative unity ; 2, To prepare
for the time when the nation, like one man, shall re-
organize its townships upon the basis of perfect justice.
"A nobler opportunity was certainly never opened to
men, than that which here and now welcomes Associ-
ationists. To us has been given the very word which
this people needs as a guide in its onward destiny.
This is a Christian Nation ; and Association shows how
human societies may be so organized in devout obedi-
ence to the will of God, as to become true brotherhoods,
where the command of universal love may be fulfilled
indeed. Thus it meets the present wants of Christians ;
who, sick of sectarian feuds and theological controver-
sies, shockea at the inconsistencies which disgrace the
religious world, at the selfishness, ostentation, and caste
which pervade even our worshiping assemblies, at the
indifference of man to the claims of his fellow-man
throughout our communities in country and city, at
the tolerance of monstrous inhumanities by professed
ministers and disciples of him whose life was love, are
longing for churches which may be really houses of
God, glorified with an indwelling spirit of holiness, and
filled to overflowing with heavenly charity.
" Brethren ! Can men engaged in so holy and hu-
532 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
mane a cause as this, which fulfills the good and destroys
the evil in existing society throughout our age and
nation, which teaches unlimited trust in Divine love, and
commands perfect obedience to the laws of Divine order
among all people, which heralds the near advent of the
reign of heaven on earth — be timid, indifferent, slug-
gish ? Abiding shame will rest upon us, if we put not
forth our highest energies in fulfillment of the present
command of Providence. Let us be up and doing with
all our might.
" The n easures which you are now requested at once
and energetically to carry out, are the three following :
I, Organize affiliated societies to act in concert with the
American Union of Associationists ; 2, Circulate the
Harbinger and other papers devoted to Association ;
3, Collect funds for the purpose of defraying the ex-
penses of lectures and tracts. It is proposed in the
autumn and winter to send out lecturers, in bands and
singly, as widely as possible.
" Our white flag is given to the breeze. Our three-
fold motto,
" Unity of man with man in true society,
" Unity of man with God in true religion,
" Unity of man with nature in creative art and
industry,
" Is blazoned on its folds. Let hearts, strong in the
might of faith and hope and charity, rally to bear it on
in triumph. We are sure to conquer. God will work
with us ; humanity will welcome our word of glad
tidings. The future is ours. On ! in the name of the
Lord. William Henry Channing,
" Cor. Sec. of the Am. Un. of Associationists.
'' Brook Farm, yu?ie 6, 1846."
BROOK FARM AND FOURIERISM. 533
In connection with this appeal, an editorial announced
The Mission of Charles A. Dana.
" The operations of the * American Union,' will be
commenced without delay. Mr. Dana will shortly
make a tour through the State of New York as its
agent. He will lecture in the principal towns, and take
every means to diffuse a knowledge of the principles
of Association. Our friends are requested to use their
best exertions to prepare for his labors, and give effi-
ciency to them."
A meeting of the American Union of Associationists
is reported in the Harbinger of June 27, at which all the
speakers except Mr. Brisbane, were Brook Farmers.
The session continued two days, and William H. Chan-
ning made the closing and electric speeches for both
days. The editor says :
" Mr. Channing closed the first day in a speech of the
loftiest and purest eloquence, in which he declared the
great problem and movement of this day to be that of
realizing a unitary church ; showed how utterly unchris-
tian is every thing now calling itself a church, and
how impossible the solution of this problem, so long as
industry tends only to isolate those who would be Chris-
tians, and to make them selfish ; and ended with
announcing the life-long pledge into which the believers
in associative unity in this country have entered, that
they will not rest nor turn back until the mind of
this whole nation is made to see and own the truth
which there is in their doctrines. The effect upon all
present was electric, and the resolution to adjourn to the
next evening, was a resolution to commence then in
earnest a great work."
534 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
After mentioning many good things said and done on
the second day, the editor says :
" It was understood that the whole would be brought
to a head and the main and practical business of the
meeting set forth by Mr. Channing. His appeal, alike
to friends and to opposers of the cause, will dwell like a
remembered inspiration in all our minds. It spoke
directly to the deepest religious sentiment in every one,
and awakened in each a consciousness of a new energy.
All the poetic wealth and imagery of the speaker's mind
seemed melted over into the speech, as if he would pour
out all his life to carry conviction into the hearts of
others. He seemed an illustration of a splendid figure
which he used, to show the present crisis in this cause.
' It was,' said he, 'nobly, powerfully begun in this coun-
try ; but, there has been a pause in our movement.
When Benvenuto Cellini was casting his great statue,
wearied and exhausted he fell asleep. He was roused by
the cries of the workmen ; Master, come quick, the fires
have gone down, and the metal has caked in the run-
ning ! He hesitated not a moment, but rushed into the
palace, seized all the gold and silver vessels, money, or-
naments, which he could find, and poured them into the
furnace ; and whatever he could lay hands on that was
combustible, he took to renew the fire. We must begin
anew, said he. And the flames roared, and the metal
began to run, and the Jupiter came out in complete
majesty. Just so our greater work has caked in the
running. We have been luke-warm ; we have slept.
But shall not we throw in all our gold and silver, and
throw in ourselves too, since our work is to produce not
a mere statue, but a harmonious life of man made perfect
in the image of God .-' Who ever had such motive for
BROOK FARM AND FOURIERISM. 535
action ? The Crusaders, on their knees and upon the
hilts of their swords, which formed a cross, daily dedi-
cated their lives and their all to the pious resolution of
re-conquering the sepulcher in which the dead Lord was
laid. But ours is the calling, not to conquer the sepul-
cher of the dead Lord, but to conquer the world, and
bring it in subjection to truth, love and 'beauty, that
the living Christ may at length return and enter upon
his Kingdom of Heaven on the earth.'
"We by no means intend this as a report of Mr.
Channing's speech. To reproduce it at all would be
impossible. We only tell such few things as we easily
remember. He closed with requesting all who had
signed the constitution, or who were ready to co-operate
with the American Union, to remain at a business
meeting.
" The hour was late and the business was made short.
The plans of the executive committee were stated and
approved. These were, i, to send out lecturers; a
beginning having been already made in the appointment
of Mr. Charles A. Dana as an agent of the society, to
proceed this summer upon a lecturing tour through
New York, Western Pennsylvania and Ohio ; 2, to sup-
port the Harbinger ; and 3, to publish tracts."
This report is followed by another stirring appeal
from the Secretary, of which the following is the
substance:
"Action! — Fellow Associationists, Brethren, Sisters,
each and all ! You are hereby once again earnestly
entreated, in the name of our cause of universal unity,
at once to co-operate energetically in carrying out the
proposed plans of the American Union :
536 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" I. Form societies. 2. Circulate the Harbinger.
3. Raise funds. We wish to find one hundred persons
in the United States, who will subscribe $ 100 a year for
three years, in permanently establishing the work of
propagation ; or two hundred persons who will subscribe
$50. Do you know any persons in your neighborhood
who will for one year, three years, five years, contribute
for this end } Be mstant, friends, in season and out of
season, in raising a permanent fund, and an immediate
fund. This whole nation must hear our gospel of glad
tidings. Will you not aid }
" William H. Channing.
" Cor. Sec. of the Am. Un. of Associationists.
How far Mr. Dana fulfilled the missionary programme
assigned to him, we have not been able to discover. But
we find that the two most conspicuous lecturers sent
abroad by the American Union were Messrs John Allen
and John Orvis. These gentlemen made two or three
tours through the northern part of New England ; and
in the fall of 1847 they were lecturing or trying to lec-
ture in Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, and other parts of
the state of New York, as we mentioned in our account
of the Skaneateles and Sodus Bay Associations. But
the harvest of Fourierism was past, and they complained
sorely of the neglect they met with, in consequence of
the bad odor of the defunct Associations. This is the
last we hear of them. The American Union continued
to advertise itself in the Harbinger till that paper disap-
peared in February 1849; but its doings after 1846 seem
to have been limited to anniversary meetings.
537
CHAPTER XLI.
BROOK FARM PROPAGATING SWEDENBORGIANISM.
Our history of the career of Brook Farm in its final
function of public teacher and propagandist, would not
be complete without some account of its agency in the
great Swedenborgian revival of modern times.
In a series of articles published in the Oneida Cir-
cular a year or .two ago, under the title of Sweden-
borgiana, the author of this history said :
"The foremost and brightest of the Associations that
rose in the Fourier excitement, was that at Brook Farm.
The leaders were men whose names are now high in lit-
erature and politics. Ripley, Dana, Channing, Dwight
and Hawthorne, are specimens of the list. Most of
them were from the Unitarian school, whose head-quar-
ters are at Boston and Cambridge. The movement
really issued as much from transcendental Unitarianism
as from Fourierism. It was religious, literary and
artistic, as well as social. It had a press, and at one
time undertook propagandism by missionaries and
lectures. Its periodical, the Harbinger, was ably con-
ducted, and very charming to all enthusiasts of progress.
Our Putney school, which had not then reached Com-
munism, was among, the admirers of this periodical, and
undoubtedly took an impulse from its teachings. The
53^ AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Brook Farm Association, as the leader and speaker ol
the hundred others that rose with it, certainly contribu-
ted most largely to the efifect of the general movement
begun by Brisbane and Greeley. But the remarkable
fact, for the sake of which I am calling special attention
to it, is, that in its didactic function, it brought upon the
public mind, not only a new socialism but a new religion,
and that religion was Swedenborgianism.
" The proof of this can be found by any one who has
access to the files of the Harbinger. I could give many
pages of extracts in point. The simple truth is that
Brook Farm and the Harbinger meant to propagate
Fourierism, but succeeded only in propagating Sweden-
borgianism. The Associations that arose with them
and under their influence, passed away within a few
years, without exception ; but the surge of Swedenbor-
gianism which they started, swept on among their
constituents, and, under the form of Spiritualism, is
sweeping on to this day.
" Swedenborgianism went deeper into the hearts of the
people than the Socialism that introduced it, because it
was a religion. The Bible and revivals had made men
hungry for something more than social reconstruction.
Swedenborg's offer of a new heaven as well as a new
earth, met the demand magnificently. He suited all
sorts. The scientific were charmed, because he was
primarily a son of science, and seemed to reduce the
universe to scientific order. The mystics were charmed,
because he led them boldly into all the mysteries of
intuition and invisible worlds. The Unitarians liked
him, because, while he declared Christ to be Jehovah
himself, he displaced the orthodox ideas of Sonship and
tri-personality, and evidently meant only that Christ was
BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM. 539
an illusive representation of the Father. Even the infi-
dels liked him, because he discarded about half the
Bible, including all Paul's writings, as ' not belonging to
the Word,' and made the rest a mere 'nose of wax' by
means of his doctrine of the ' internal sense.' His vast
imaginations and magnificent promises chimed in
exactly with the spirit of the accompanying Socialisms.
Fourierism was too bald a materialism to suit the higher
classes of its disciples, without a religion corresponding.
Swedenborgianism was a godsend to the enthusiasts of
Brook Farm ; and they made it the complement of
Fourierism.
" Swedenborg's writings had long been circulating
feebly in this country, and he had sporadic disciples and
even churches in our cities, before the new era of
Socialism. But any thing like a general interest in his
writings had never been known, till about the period
when Brook Farm and the Harbinger were in the
ascendant. Here began a movement of the public
mind toward Swedenborg, as palpable and portentous as
that of Millerism or the old revivals.
" But Young America could not receive an old and
foreign philosophy like Swedenborg's, without reacting
upon it and adapting it to its new surroundings. The
old aflflatus must have a new medium. In 1845 the
movement which commenced at Brook Farm was in full
tide. In 1,847 the great American Swedenborg, Andrew
Jackson Davis, appeared, and Professor Bush gave him
the right hand of fellowship, and introduced him into
office as the medium and representative of the 'illus-
trious Swede,' while the Harbinger rejoiced over them
both.
" Here I might show by chapter and verse from
540 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Davis's and Bush's writings, exactly how the conjunc-
tion between them took place ; how Davis met Sweden-
borg's ghost in a graveyard near Poughkeepsie in 1844,
and from him received a commission to help the ' ineffi-
cient' efforts of Christ to regulate mankind; how he had
another interview with the same ghost in 1846, and was
directed by him to open correspondence with Bush ;
how Bush took him under his patronage, watched and
studied him for months, and finally published his conclu-
sion that Davis was a true medium of Swedenborg,
providentially raised up to confirm his divine mission
and teachings ; and finally, how Bush and Davis
quarreled within a year, and mutually repudiated each
other's doctrines ; but I must leave details and hurry on
to the end.
"After 1847 Swedenborgianism proper subsided, and
' Modern Spiritualism ' took its place. But the character
of the two systems, as well as the history of their rela-
tions to each other, proves them to be identical in
essence. Spiritualism is Swedenborgianism American-
ized. Andrew Jackson Davis began as a medium of
Swedenborg, receiving from him his commission and
inspiration, and became an independent seer and revela-
tor, only because, as a son, he outgrew his father. The
omniscient philosophies which the two have issued are
identical in their main ideas about intuition, love and
wisdom, familiarity of the living with the dead, classifi-
cation of ghostly spheres, astronomical theology, etc.
Andrew Jackson Davis is more flippant and superficial
than Swedenborg, and less respectful toward the Bible
and the past, and in these respects he suits his cus-
tomers."
We understand that some of the Brook Farmers think
BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM. 54I
this view of the Swedenborgian influence of Brook Farm
and the Harbinger is exaggerated. It will be appropriate
therefore now to set forth some of the facts and teachings
which led to this view.
The first notable statement of the essential dualism
between Swedenborg and Fourier that we find in the
writings of the Socialists, is in the last chapter of Parke
Godwin's " Popular Viezu" published in the beginning
of 1844, a standard work on Fourierism, second in time
and importance only to Brisbane's " Concise Exposition."
Godwin says :
"Thus far we have given Fourier's doctrine of Uni-
versal Analogy ; but it is important to observe that he
was not the first man of modern times who communi-
cated this view. Emanuel Swedenborg, between whose
revelations in the sphere of spiritual knowledge, and
Fourier's discoveries in the sphere of science, there has
been remarked the most exact and wonderful coinci-
dence, preceded him in the annunciation of the doctrine
in many of its aspects, in what is termed the doctrine of
correspondence. These two great minds, the greatest
beyond all comparison in our later days, were the instru-
ments of Providence in bringing to light the mysteries
of His Word and Works, as they are comprehended and
followed in the higher states of existence. It is no
exaggeration, we think, to say, that they are the two
commissioned by the Great Leader of the Christian
Israel, to spy out the promised land of peace and bless-
edness.
" But in the discovery and statement of the doctrine
of Analogy, these authorities have not proceded accord-
ing to precisely the same methods. Fourier has arrived
542 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
at it by strictly scientific synthesis, and Swedenborg by
the study of the Scriptures aided by Divine illumination.
What is the aspect in which Fourier views it we have
shown ; we shall next attempt to elucidate the peculiar
development of Swedenborg."
From this Mr. Godwin goes on to show at length the
parallelism between the teachings of these " incomparable
masters." It will be seen that he intimates that thinkers
and writers before him had taken the same view. One
of these, doubtless, was Hugh Doherty, an English
Fourierist, whose writings frequently occur in the
Phalanx and Harbinger. A very long article from him,
maintaining the identity of Fourierism and Sweden-
borgianism, appeared in the Phalanx of September 7,
1844. The article itself is dated London, January 30,
1844. Among other things Mr. Doherty says :
" I am a believer in the truths of the New Church,
and have read nearly all the writings of Swedenborg,
and I have no hesitation in saying that without Fourier's
explanation of the laws of order in Scriptural interpre-
tation, I should probably have doubted the truth of
Swedenborg's illumination, from want of a ground to
understand the nature of spiritual sight in contradis-
tinction from natural sight ; or if I had been able to
conceive the opening of the spiritual sight, and credit
Swedenborg's doctrmes and affirmations, I should prob-
ably have understood them only in the same degree
as most of the members of the New Church whom I
have met in England, and that would seem to me, in my
present state, a partial calamity of cecity. I say this in
all humility and sincerity of conscience, with a view to
future reference to Swedenborg himself in the spiritual
BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM. 543
world, and as a means of inducing the members of the
New Church generally not to be content with a super-
ficial or limited knowledge of their own doctrines."
In another passage Mr. Doherty claims to have been
"a student of Fourier fourteen years, and of Sweden-
borg two years."
In consequence partly of the new appreciation of
Swedenborg that was rising among the Fourierists, a
movement commenced in England in 1845 for repub-
lishing the scientific works of "the illustrious Swede."
An Association for that purpose was formed, and several
of Swedenborg's bulkiest works were printed under the
auspices of Wilkinson, Clissold and others. This Wil-
kinson was also a considerable contributor to the PJia-
lanx and Harbinger, as the reader will see by recurring
to a list in our chapter on the Personnel of Fourierism.
Following this movement, came the famous lecture of
Ralph Waldo Emerson on " Szvedenborg, the Mystic','
claiming for him a lofty position as a scientific dis-
coverer. That lecture was first published 'in this country
in a volume entitled, " Represejttative Men" in 1849;
but according to Mr. White (the biographer of Sweden-
borg), it was delivered in England several times in 1847 !
and we judge from an expression which we italicize in
the following extract from it, that it was written and
perhaps delivered in this country in 1845 or 1846, i. e.
very soon after the republication movement in England :
" The scientific works [of Swedenborg] have just now
been translated into English, in an excellent edition.
Swedenborg printed these scientific books in the ten
years from 1734 to 1744, and they remained from that
time neglected ; and now, after their century is com-
544 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
plete, he has at last found a pupil in Mr. Wilkinson, in
London, a philosophic critic, with a coequal vigor of
understanding and imagination comparable only to Lord
Bacon's, who has produced his master's buried books to
the day, and transferred them, with every advantage,
from their forgotten Latin into English, to go round the
world in our commercial and conquering tongue. This
startling reappearance of Swedenborg, after a hundred
years, in his pupil, is not the least remarkable fact in his
history. Aided, it is said, by the munificence of Mr.
Clissold, and also by his literary skill, this piece of
poetic justice is done. The admirable preliminary dis-
courses with which Mr. Wilkinson has enriched these
volumes, throw all the cotemporary philosophy of Eng-
land into shade."
Emerson, it is true, was not a Brook Farmer ; but he
was the spiritual fertilizer of all the Transcendentalists,
including the Brook Farmers. It is true also that in his
lecture he severely criticised Swedenborg; but this was
his vocation: to judge and disparage all religious
teachers, especially seers and thaumaturgists. On the
whole he gave Swedenborg a lift, just as he helped the
reputation of all "ethnic Scriptures." His criticism of
Swedenborg amounts to about this : " He was a very
great thinker and discoverer ; but his visions and theo-
logical teachings are humbugs ; still they are as good as
any other, and rather better."
William H. Channing, another fertilizer of Brook
Farm, was busy at the same time with Emerson, in the
work of calling attention to Swedenborg. His con-
versions to Fourierism and Swedenborgianism seem to
have proceeded together. The last three numbers of
the Presctit are loaded with articles extolling Sweden-
BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM. 545
borg, and the editor only complains of them that they
"by no means do justice to the great Swedish philoso-
pher and seer." The very last article in the volume is
an item headed, " Fourier and Swedenborg," in which
Mr. Channing says:
" I have great pleasure in announcing another work
upon Fourier and his system, from the pen of C. J.
Hempel. This book is a very curious and interesting
one, from the attempt of the author to show the identity
or at least the extraordinary resemblance between the
views of Fourier and Swedenborg. How far Mr.
Hempel has been successful I cannot pretend to judge.
But this may be safely said, no one can examine with
any care the writings of these two wonderful students
of Providence, man and the universe, without having
most sublime visions of divine order opened upon him.
Their doctrine of Correspondence and Universal Unity
accords with all the profoundest thought of the age."
Such were the influences under which Brook Farm
assumed its final task of propagandism. Let us now
see how far the coupling of Fourier and Swedenborg
was kept up in the Harbijiger.
The motto of the paper, displayed under its title from
first to last, was selected from the writings of the
Swedish seer. In the editors' inaugural address they
say :
" In the words of the illustrious Swedenborg, which we
have selected for the motto of the Harbinger, "All
things, at the present day, stand provided and prepared,
and await the light. The ship is in the harbor ; the
sails are swelling ; the east wind blows ; let us weigh
anchor, and put forth to sea."
546 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
In a glancing run through the five semi-annual vol-
umes of the Harbinger we find between thirty and forty
articles on Swedenborg and Swedenborgian subjects,
chiefly editorial reviews of books, pamphlets, etc., with
a considerable amount of correspondence from Wilkin-
son, Doherty and other Swedenborgian Fourierists in
England. The burden of all these articles is the same,
viz., the unity of Swedenborgianism and Fourierism.
On the one hand the Fourierists insist that Swedenborg
revealed the religion that Fourier anticipated ; and on
the other the Swedenborgians insist that Fourier dis-
covered the divine arrangement of society that Sweden-
borg foreshadowed. The reviews referred to were writ-
ten chiefly by John S. Dwight and Charles A. Dana.*
We will give a few specimens of their utterances :
[From Editorials by John S. Dwight.]
* * * "In religion we have Swedenborg; in social
economy Fourier ; in music Beethoven.
* * * " Swedenborg we reverence for the greatness
and profundity of his thought. We study him continu-
ally for the light he sheds on so many problems of
human destiny, and more especially for the remarkable
correspondence, as of inner with outer, which his revela-
tions present with the discoveries of Fourier concerning
social organization, or the outward forms of life. The
one is the great poet and high-priest, the other the great
* Henry James also wrote many articles for the Harbin<^er in the in-
terest of Swedenborg. His subsequent career as a promulgator of the
Swedenborgian philosophy, in which he has even scaled the heights of the
North American Reriew, is well known ; but perhaps it is not so well
known that he commenced that career in the Harhijiq-er. He has con-
tinued faithful to both Swedenborg and Fourier, to the present time.
BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM. 547
economist, as it were, of the harmonic order, which all
things are preparing.
* * * "Call not our praises of Swedenborg 'hollow;'
if he offered us ten times as much which we could not
assent to, it would not detract in the least from our
reverence for the man, or our great indebtedness to his
profoundly spiritual insight.
* * * "Deeper foundations for science have not been
touched by any sounding-line as yet, than these same
philosophical principles of Swedenborg. Fourier has
not gone deeper ; but he has shed more light on these
deep foundations, taken their measurement with a more
bold precision, and reared a no insignificant portion of
the everlasting superstructure. But in their ground
they are both one. Taken together they are the highest
expression of the tendency of human thought to univer-
sal unity.
[From Editorials by Charles A. Dana.]
* * * (( -^g recommend the writings of Swedenborg
to our readers of all denominations, as we should recom-
mend those of any other providential teacher. We
believe that his mission is of the highest importance to
the human family, and shall take every fit occasion to
call the attention of the public to it.
* * * « ^Q j^^j^ Qjf unsophisticated mind can read
Swedenborg without feeling his life elevated into a
higher plane, and his intellect excited into new and
more reverent action on some of the sublimest questions
which the human mind can approach. Whatever may
be thought of the doctrines of Swedenborg or of his
visions, the spirit which breathes from his works is pure
and heavenly.
548 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
* * * "We do not hesitate to say that the publica-
tion and study of Swedenborg's scientific writings must
produce a new era in human knowledge, and thus in
society.
* * * " Though Swedenborg and Fourier differ in the
character of their minds, and the immediate end of
their studies, the method they adopted was fundamen-
tally the same ; their success is thus due, not to the
vastness of their genius alone, but in a measure also to
the instruments they employed. The logic of Fourier
is imperfectly stated in his doctrine of the Series, of
Universal Analogy, and of Attractions proportional to
Destinies ; that of Swedenborg in the incomplete and
often very obscure and difficult expositions which appear
here and there in his works, of the doctrine of Forms ;
of Order and Degrees ; of Series and Society ; of In-
flux ; of Correspondence and Representation ; and of
Modification. This logic appears to have existed com-
plete in the minds of neither of these great men ; but
even so much of it as they have communicated, puts
into the hands of the student the most invaluable
assistance, and attracts him to a path of thought in
which the successful explorers will receive immortal
honors from a grateful race.
* * * " The chief characteristic of this epoch is, its
tendency, everywhere apparent, to unity in universality ;
and the men in whom this tendency is most fully ex-
pressed are Swedenborg, Fourier and Goethe. In these
three eminent persons is summed up the great move-
ment toward unity in universality, in religion, science
and art, which comprise the whole domain of human
activity. In speaking of Swedenborg as the teacher of
this century in religion, some of the most obvious con-
BROOK FARM AND SWEDENBORGIANISM. 549
siderations are his northern origin, his peculiar educa-
tion, etc.
* * * " We say without hesitation, that, excepting
the writings of Fourier, no scientific publications of the
last fifty years are to be compared with [the Wilkinson
edition of Swedenborg] in importance. To the student
of philosophy, to the savan, and to the votary of social
science, they are alike invaluable, almost indispensable.
Whether we are inquiring for truth in the abstract, or
looking beyond the aimlessness and contradictions of
modern experimentalism in search of the guiding light
of universal principles, or giving our constant thought
to the laws of Divine Social Order, and the re-integra-
tion of the Collective Man, we can not spare the aid of
this loving and beloved sage. His was a grand genius,
nobly disciplined. In him, a devotion to truth almost
awful, was tempered by an equal love of humanity and a
supreme reverence for God. To his mind, the order of
the universe and the play of its powers were never the
objects of idle curiosity or of cold speculation. He
entered into the retreats of nature and the occult abode
of the soul, as the minister of humanity, and not as a
curious explorer eager to add to his own store of
wonders or to exercise his faculties in those difficult
regions. No man had ever such sincerity, such absolute
freedom from intellectual selfishness as he."
The reader, we trust, will take our word for it, that
there is a very large amount of this sort of teaching in
the volumes of the Harbinger. Even Mr. Ripley him-
self wielded a vigorous cudgel on behalf of Swedenborg
against certain orthodox critics, and held the usual
language of his socialistic brethren about the " sublime
550 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
visions of the illustrious Swedish seer," his " bold poetic
revelations," his " profound, living, electric principles,"
the " piercing truth of his productions," etc. Vide Har-
binger, Vol. 3, p. 317-
On these and such evidences we came to the conclu-
sion that the Brook Farmers, while they disclaimed for
Fourierism all sectarian connections, did actually couple
it with Swedenborgianism in their propagative labors ;
and as Fourierism soon failed and passed away, it turned
out that their lasting work was the promulgation of
Swedenborgianism ; which certainly has had a great run
in this country ever since. It would not perhaps be fair
to call Fourierism, as taught by the Harbinger writers,
the stalking-horse of Swedenborgianism ; but it is not
too much to say that their Fourierism, if it had lived,
would have had Swedenborgianism for its state-religion.
This view agrees with the fact that the only sectarian
Association, avowed and tolerated in the Fourier epoch,
was the Swedenborgian Phalanx at Leraysville.
The entire historical sequence which seems to be es-
tablished by the facts now before us, may be stated
thus : Unitarianism produced Transcendentalism ; Tran-
scendentalism produced Brook Farm ; Brook Farm
married and propagated Fourierism ; Fourierism had
Swedenborgianism for its religion ; and Swedenborgian-
ism led the way to Modern Spiritualism.
551
CHAPTER XLII.
THE END OF BROOK FARM.
It only remains to tell what we know of the causes that
brought the Brook Farm Phalanx to its end.
Within a year from the time when it assumed the task
of propagating Fourierism, i. e. on the 3d of March,
1846, a disastrous fire prostrated the energies and
hopes of the Association. We copy from the Harbinger
(March 14) the entire article reporting it:
" Fire at Brook Farm. — Our readers have no doubt
been informed before this, of the severe calamity with
which the Brook Farm Association has been visited, by
the destruction of the large unitary edifice which it has
been for some time erecting on its domain. Just as our
last paper was going through the press, on Tuesday
evening the 3d inst., the alarm of fire was given at about
a quarter before nine, and it was found to proceed from
the ' Phalanstery ; ' in a few minutes the flames were
bursting through the doors and windows of the second
story ; the fire spread with almost incredible rapidity
throughout the building ; and in about an hour and
a-half the whole edifice was burned to the ground. The
members of the Association were on the spot in a few
moments, and made some attempts to save a quantity of
lumber that was in the basement story ; but so rapid
552 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
was the progress of the fire, that this was found to be
impossible, and they succeeded only in rescuing a couple
of tool-chests that had been in use by the carpenters.
" The neighboring dwelling-house called the ' Eyry/
was in imminent danger while the fire was at its height,
and nothing but the stillness of the night, and the vigi-
lance and activity of those who were stationed on its roof,
preserved it from destruction. The vigorous efforts of
our nearest neighbors, Mr. T. J. Orange, and Messrs.
Thomas" and George Palmer, were of great service in
protecting this building, as a part of our force were
engaged in another direction, watching the work-shop,
barn, and principal dwelling-house.
" In a short time our neighbors from the village of
West Roxbury, a mile and a-half distant, arrived in
great numbers with their engine, which together with
the engines from Jamaica Plain, Newton, and Brooklin?,
rendered valuable assistance in subduing the flaming
ruins, although it was impossible to check the progress
of the fire, until the building was completely destroyed.
We are under the deepest obligations to the fire com-
panies which came, some of them five or six miles,
through deep snow on cross roads, and did every thing
in the power of skill or energy, to preserve our other
buildings from ruin. Many of the engines from Boston
came four or five miles from the city, but finding the fire
going down, returned without reaching the spot. The
engines from Dedham, we understand, made an unsuc-
cessful attempt to come to our aid, but were obliged to
turn back on account of the condition of the roads. No
efforts, however, would have probably been successful in
arresting the progress of the flames. The building was
divided into nearly a hundred rooms in the upper stories.
END OF BROOK FARM. 553
most of which had been lathed for several months, with-
out plaster, and being almost as dry as tinder, the fire
flashed through them with terrific rapidity.
" There had been no work performed on this building
during the winter months, and arrangements had just
been made to complete four out of the fourteen distinct
suites of apartments into which it was divided, by the
first of May. It was hoped that the remainder would be
finished during the summer, and that by the first of
October, the edifice would be prepared for the reception
of a hundred and fifty persons, with ample accommoda-
tions for families, and spacious and convenient public
halls and saloons. A portion of the second story had
been set apart for a church or chapel, which was to be
finished, in a style of simplicity and elegance, by private
subscription, and in which it was expected that religious
services would be performed by our friend William H.
Channing, whose presence with us, until obliged to
retire on account of ill health, has been a source of un-
mingled satisfaction and benefit.
On the Saturday previous to the fire, a stove was put
in the basement story for the accommodation of the car-
penters, who were to work on the inside ; a fire was
kindled in it on Tuesday morning which burned till four
o'clock in the afternoon ; at half past eight in the eve-
ning, the building was visited by the night-watch, who
found every thing apparently safe ; and at a quarter be-
fore nine, a faint light was discovered in the second
story, which was supposed at first to have proceeded
from the lamp, but, on entering to ascertain the fact,
the smoke at once showed that the interior was on fire.
The alarm was immediately given, but almost before the
people had time to assemble, the whole edifice was
554 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
wrapped in flames. From a defect in the construction
of the chimney, a spark from the stove-pipe had prob-
bly communicated with the surrounding wood-work ; and
from the combustible nature of the materials, the flames
spread with a celerity that made every effort to arrest
their violence without effect.
" This edifice was commenced in the summer of 1844,
and has been in progress from that time until November
last, when the work was suspended for the winter, and
resumed, as before stated, on the day in which it was
consumed. It was built of wood, one hundred and
seventy-five feet long, three stories high, with attics
divided into pleasant and convenient rooms for single
persons. The second and third stories were divided
into fourteen houses independent of each other, with
a parlor and three sleeping-rooms in each, connected by
piazzas which ran the whole length of the building on
both stories. The basement contained a large and com-
modious kitchen, a dining-hall capable of seating from
three to four hundred persons, two public saloons, and a
spacious hall or lecture-room. Although by no means
a model for the Phalanstery or unitary edifice of a Pha-
lanx, it was well adapted for our purposes at present,
situated on a delightful eminence, which commanded a
most extensive and picturesque view, and affording
accommodations and conveniences in the combined
order, which in many respects would gratify even a fas-
tidious taste. The actual expenditure upon the building,
including the labor performed by the Association,
amounted to about $7,000; and $3,000 more, it was
estimated, would be sufficient for its completion. As it
was not yet in use by the Association, and until the day
of its destruction, not exposed to fire, no insurance had
END OF BROOK FARM. 555
been effected. It was built by investments in our loan-
stock, and the loss falls upon the holders of partnership-
stock and the members of the Association.
" It is some alleviation of the great calamity which we
have sustained, that it came upon us at this time rather
than at a later period. The house was not endeared to
us by any grateful recollections ; the tender and hallowed
associations of home had not yet begun to cluster
around it ; and although we looked upon it with joy and
hope, as destined to occupy an important sphere in the
social movement to which it was consecrated, its
destruction does not rend asunder those sacred ties
which bind us to the dwellings that have thus far been
the scene of our toils and of our satisfactions. We
could not part with either of the houses in which we
have lived at Brook Farm, without a sadness like that
which we should feel at the departure of a bosom friend.
The destruction of our edifice makes no essential
change in our pursuits. It leaves no family destitute of
a home ; it disturbs no domestic arrangements ; it puts
us to no immediate inconvenience. The morning after
the disaster, if a stranger had not seen the smoking pile
of ruins, he would not have suspected that any thing
extraordinary had taken place. Our schools were
attended as usual ; our industry in full operation ; and
not a look or expression of despondency could have been
perceived. The calamity is felt to be great ; we do not
attempt to conceal from ourselves its consequences ; but
it has been met with a calmness and high trust, which
gives us a new proof of the power of associated life to
quicken the best elements of character, and to prepare
men for every emergency.
"We shall be pardoned for entering into these almost
55^ AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
personal details, for we know that the numerous friends
of Association in every part of our land, will feel our
misfortune as if it were a private grief of their own.
We have received nothing but expressions of the most
generous sympathy from every quarter, even from those
who might be supposed to take the least interest in our
purposes ; and we are sure that our friends in the cause
of social unity will share with us the affliction that has
visited a branch of their own fraternity.
" We have no wish to keep out of sight the magnitude
of our loss. In our present infant state, it is a severe
trial of our strength. We can not now calculate its
ultimate effect. It may prove more than we are able to
bear ; or like other previous calamities, it may serve to
bind us more closely to each other, and to the holy
cause to which we are devoted. We await the result
with calm hope, sustained by our faith in the universal
Providence, whose social laws we have endeavored to
ascertain and embody in our daily lives.
" It may not be improper to state, as we are speaking
of our own affairs more fully than we have felt at liberty
to do before in the columns of our paper, that, whatever
be our trials of an external character, we have every
reason to rejoice in the internal condition of our Asso-
ciation. For the last few months it has more nearly
than ever approached the idea of a true social order.
The greatest harmony prevails among us ; not a dis-
cordant note is heard ; a spirit of friendship, of brotherly
kindness, of charity, dwells with us and blesses us ; our
social resources have been greatly multiplied ; and our
devotion to the cause which has brought us together,
receives new strength every day. Whatever may be in
leservefor us, we have an infinite satisfaction in the
END OF BROOK FARM. 557
true relations which have united us, and the assurance
that our enterprise has sprung from a desire to obey the
Divine law. We feel assured that no outward dis-
appointment or calamity can chill our zeal for the
realization of a Divine order of society, or abate our
effort in the sphere which may be pointed out by our
best judgment as most favorable to the cause which we
have at heart."
In the next number of the Harbinger (March 21), an
editorial addressed to the friends of Brook Farm, indi-
cated some depression and uncertainty. The following
are extracts from it :
" We do not altogether agree with our friends, in the
importance which they attach to the special movement
at Brook Farm ; we have never professed to be able to
represent the idea of Association with the scanty re-
sources at our command ; nor would the discontinuance
of our establishment or of any of the partial attempts
which are now in progress, in the slightest degree
weaken our faith in the associative system, or our con-
viction that it will sooner or later be adopted as the only
form of society suited to the nature of man and in
accordance with the Divine will. We have never
attempted any thing more than to prepare the way for
Association, by demonstrating some of the leading ideas
on which the theory is founded ; in this we have had the
most gratifying success ; but we have always regarded
ourselves only as the humble pioneers in the work,
which would be carried on by others to its magnificent
consummation, and have been content to wait and toil
for the development of the cause and the completion of
our hope.
558 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
"Still we have established a center of influence here
for the associative movement, which we shall spare no
effort to sustain. We are fully aware of the importance
of this ; and nothing but the most inexorable necessity,
will withdraw the congenial spirits that are gathered in
social union here, from the work which has always called
forth their most earnest devotedness and enthusiasm.
Since our disaster occurred, there has not been an ex-
pression or symptom of despondency among our num-
ber ; all are resolute and calm ; determined to stand by
each other and by the cause ; ready to encounter still
greater sacrifices than have as yet been demanded of
them ; and desirous only to adopt the course which may
be presented by the clearest dictates of duty. The loss
which we have sustained occasions us no immediate in-
convenience, does not interfere with any of our present
operations ; although it is a total destruction of re-
sources on which we had confidently relied, and must
inevitably derange our plans for the enlargement of the
Association and the extension of our industry. We
have a firm and cheerful hope, however, of being able to
do much for the illustration of the cause with the ma-
terials that remain. They are far too valuable to be dis-
persed, or applied to any other object ; and with favorable
circumstances will be able to accomplish much for the
realization of social unity."
This fire was a disaster from which Brook Farm never
recovered. The organization lingered, and the Harbin-
ger coniinned to be published there, till October 1847 5
but the hope of becoming a model Phalanx died out long
before that time. The Harbinger is very reticent in
relation to the details of the dissolution. We can only
give the reader the following scraps hinting at the end :
END OF BROOK FARM. 559
[From the New York Trlhune (August, 1847), '"i answer to an allegation
in the New York Observer that " the Brook Farm Association, which
was near Boston, had wound up its' affairs some time since."]
"The Brook Farm Association not only was, but is
near Boston, and the Harbinger {?, still published from
its press. But, having been started without capital,
experience or industrial capacity, without reference to or
knowledge of Fourier's or any other systematic plan of
Association, on a most unfavorable locality, bought at a
high price, and constantly under mortgage, this Associa-
tion is about to dissolve, when the paper will be removed
to this city, with the master-spirits of Brook Farm as
editors. The Observer will have ample opportunity to
judge how far experience has modified their convictions
or impaired their energies."
[From a report of a Boston Convention of Associationists, in the
Harbinger, October 23, 1847.]
" The breaking up of the life at Brook Farm was fre-
quently alluded to, especially by Mr. Ripley, who, on the
eve of entering a new sphere of labor for the same great
cause, appeared in all his indomitable strength and
cheerfulness, triumphant amid outward failure. The
owls and bats and other birds of ill omen which Utter
their oracles in leading political and sectarian religious
journals, and which are busily croaking and screeching
of the downfall of Association, had they been present at
this meeting, could their weak eyes have borne so much
light, would never again have coupled failure with the
thought of such men, nor entertained a feeling other
than of envy of experience like theirs."
The next number of the Harbinger (October 30,
1847) announced that that paper would in future be
published in New York under the editorial charge of
560 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Parke Godwin, assisted by George Ripley and Charles
A. Dana in New York, and William H. Channing and
John S. Dwight in Boston. This of course implied the
dispersion of the Brook Farmers, and the dissolution of
the Association ; and this is all we know about it.
The years 1846 and 1847 were fatal to most of the
Fourier experiments. Horace Greeley, under date of
July 1847, wrote to the Peoples Journal the following
account of what may be called,
Fotiriej'isvt reduced to a Forlorn Hope.
" As to the Associationists (by their adversaries
termed ' Fourierites'), with whom I am proud to be
numbered, their beginnings are yet too recent to justify
me in asking for their history any considerable space in
your columns. Briefly, however, the first that was heard
in this country of Fourier and his views (beyond a little
circle of perhaps a hundred persons in two or three of
our large cities, who had picked up some notion of them
in France or from French writings), was in 1840, when
Albert Brisbane published his first synopsis of Fourier's
theory of industrial and household Association. Since
then, the subject has been considerably discussed, and
several attempts of some sort have been made to actual-
ize Fourier's ideas, generally by men destitute alike of
capacity, public confidence, energy and means. In only
one instance that I have heard of was the land paid for
on which the enterprise commenced ; not one of these
vaunted ' Fourier Associations ' ever had the means of
erecting a proper dwelling for so many as three hundred
people, even if the land had been given them. Of
course, the time for paying the first installment on the
mortgage covering their land has generally witnessed
END OF BROOK FARM. 561
the dissipation of their sanguine dreams. Yet there are
at least three of these embryo Associations still in ex-
istence; and, as each of these is in its third or fourth
year, they may be supposed to give some promise of
vitality. They are the North American Phalanx, near
Leedsville, New Jersey ; the Trumbull Phalanx, near
Braceville, Ohio ; and the Wisconsin Phalanx, Ceresco,
Wisconsin. Each of these has a considerable domain
nearly or wholly paid for, is improving the soil, increas-
ing its annual products, and establishing some branches
of manufactures. Each, though far enough from being
a perfect Association, is animated with the hope of
becoming one, as rapidly as experience, time and means
will allow."
Of the three Phalanxes thus mentioned as the rear-
guard of Fourierism, one — the Trumbull — disappeared
about four months afterward (very nearly at the time of
the dispersion of Brook Farm), and another — the Wis-
consin— lasted only a year longer, leaving the North
American alone for the last four years of its existence.
Brook Farm in its function, of propagandist (which
is always expensive and exhausting at the best), must
have been sadly depressed by the failures that crowded
upon it in its last days ; and it is not to be wondered
that it died with its children and kindred.
If we might suggest a transcendental reason for the
failure of Brook Farm, we should "say that it had natu-
rally a delicate constitution, that was liable to be shattered
by disasters and sympathies ; and the causes of this
weakness must be sought for in the character of the
afflatus that organized it. The transcendental afflatus,
like that of Pentecost, had in it two elements, viz., Com-
562 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
munism, and "the gift of tongues ;" or in other words,
the tendency to rehgious and social unity, represented
by Channing and Ripley ; and the tendency to litera-
ture, represented by Emerson and Margaret Fuller,
But the proportion of these elements was different from
that of Pentecost. The tendency to utterance was the
strongest. Emerson prevailed over Channing even in
Brook Farm ; nay, in Channing himself, and in Ripley,
Dana and all the rest of the Brook Farm leaders. In
fact they went over from practical Communism to liter-
ary utterance when they assumed the propagandism of
Fourierism ; and utterance has been their vocation ever
since. A similar phenomenon occurred in the history
of the great literary trio of England, Coleridge, Words-
worth and Southey. Their original afflatus carried them
to the verge of Communism ; but "their gift of tongues"
prevailed and spoiled them. And the tendency to litera-
ture, as represented by Emerson, is the farthest opposite
of Communism, finding its snmmmn bommi in individu-
alism and incoherent instead of organic inspiration.
The end of Brook Farm was virtually the end of
Fourierism. One or two Phalanxes lingered afterward,
and the Harbinger, was continued a year or two in New
York ; but the enthusiasm of victory and hope was
gone ; and the Brook Farm leaders, as soon as a proper
transition could be effected, passed into the service of
the Tribune.
During the fatal year following the fire at Brook
Farm, the famous controversy between Greeley and
Raymond took place, which we have mentioned as
Greeley's last battle in defense of retreating Fourierism.
It commenced on the 20th of November, 1846, and
ended on the 20th of May, 1847, each of the combatants
END OF BROOK FARM. 563
delivering twelve well-shotted articles in their respect-
ive papers, the Tribune and the Courier and Enquirer,
which were afterward published together in pamphlet-
form by the Harpers. Parton, in his biography of Gree-
ley, says at the beginning of his report of that discus-
sion, " It finished Fourierism in the United States ;"
and again at the close — "Thus ended Fourierism.
Thenceforth the Tribune alluded to the subject occa-
sionally, but only in reply to those who sought to make
political or personal capital by reviving it."
564 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES.
We proposed at the beginning to trace the history of
the Owen and Fourier movements, as comprising the
substance of American SociaHsms. After reaching the
terminus of this course, it is still proper to avail our-
selves of the station we have reached, to take a birds-
eye view of things beyond.
We must must not, however, wander from our subject.
Co-operation is the present theme of enthusiasm in the
Tribune, and among many of the old representatives of
Fourierism. But Co-operation is not Socialism. It is a
very interesting subject, and doubtless will have its his-
tory ; but it does not belong to our programme. Its
place is among the preparations of Socialism. It is not
to be classed with Owenism, Fourierism and Shakerism ;
but with Insurance, Saving's Banks and Protective Un-
ions. It is not even the offspring of the theoretical
Socialisms, but rather a product of general common
sense and experiment among the working classes. It is
the application of the principle of combination to the
business of buying and distributing goods ; whereas
Socialism proper is the application of that principle to
domestic arrangements, and requires at the lowest, local
gatherings and combinations of homes. If the old
SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES. 565
Socialists have turned aside or gone back to Co-opera-
tion, it is because they have lost their original faith, and
like the Israelites that came out of Egypt, are wander-
ing their forty years in the wilderness, instead of enter-
ing the promised land in three days, as they expected.
We do not believe that the American people have
lost sight of the great hope which Owen and Fourier
set before them, or will be contented with any thing
less than unity of interests carried into all the affairs of
life. Co-operation as one o.f the preparations for this
unity, is interesting them at the present time, in the
absence of any promising scheme of real Socialism.
But they are interested in it rather as a movement
among the oppressed operatives of Europe, where noth-
ing higher can be attempted, than as a consummation
worthy of the progress that has commenced in Young
America.
Our present business as historians of American
Socialisms, is not with Co-operation, but with experi-
ments in actual Association which have occurred since
the downfall of Fourierism.
The terminus we have reached is 1847, the year of
Brook Farm's decease. Since then " Modern Spiritu-
alism" has been the great American excitation. And it
is interesting to observe that all the Socialisms that we
have surveyed, sent streams (if they did not altogether
debouch) into this gulf It is well known that Robert
Owen in his last days was converted to Spiritualism, and
transferred all he could of his socialistic stock to that
interest. His successor, Robert Dale Owen, has not
carried forward the communistic schemes of his father,
but has been the busy patron of Spiritualism. Several
other indirect but important anastomoses of Owen ism
566 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
with Spiritualism may be traced ; one, through Josiah
Warren and his school of Individual Sovereignty at
Modern Times, where Nichols and Andrews developed
the germ of spiritualistic free-love ; another (curiously
enough), through Elder Evans of New Lebanon, who was
originally an Owen man, and now may be said to be a
common center of Shakerism, Owenism and Spiritualism.
In his auto-biographical articles in the Atlantic Monthly
he maintained that Shakerism was the actual mother of
Spiritualism, and had the first run of the " manifesta-
tions," that afterwards were called the " Rochester rap-
pings." And lastly, Fourierism, by its marriage with
Swedenborgianism at Brook Farm, and in many other
ways, gave its strength to Spiritualism.
It is a point of history worth noting here, that Mr.
Brisbane is mentioned in the introduction to Andrew
Jackson Davis's Revelations, as one of the witnesses of
the seances in which that work was uttered. C. W.
Webber, a spiritualistic expert, in the introduction to his
story of "Spiritual Vampirism," refers to this con-
junction of Fourierism with Spiritualism, as follows:
" No man, who has kept himself informed of the psy-
chological history and progress of his race, can by any
means fail to recognize at once, in the pretended 'revela-
tions' of Davis, the mere disjecta inonbra of the systems
so extensively promulgated by F^ourier and Swedenborg.
Davis, during the whole period of his 'utterings,' was
surrounded by groups, consisting of the disciples of
Fourier and Swedenborg ; as, for instance, the leading
Fourierite of America [Mr. Brisbane] was, for a time, a
constant attendant upon those mysterious meetings, at
which the myths of innocent Davis were formally an-
nounced from the condition of clairvoyance, and tran-
SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES. 567
scribed by his keeper, for the press ; while the chief
exponent and minister of Swedenborgianism in New
York [George Bush] was often seated side by side with
him. Can it be possible that these men failed to com-
prehend, as thought after thought, principle after princi-
ple, was enunciated in their presence, which they had
previously supposed to belong exclusively to their own
schools, that the ' revelation ' was merely a sympathetic
reflex of their own derived systems .-• It was no acci-
dent ; for, as often as Fourierism predominated in ' the
evening lecture,' it was sure that the prime representa-
tive of Fourier was present ; and when the peculiar
views of Swedenborg prevailed, it was equally certain
that he was forcibly represented in the conclave. Some-
times both schools were present ; and on those identical
occasions we have a composite system of metaphysics
promulgated, which exhibited, most consistently, the
doctrines of Swedenborg and Fourier, jumbled in liberal
and extraordinary confusion."
As might be expected. Spiritualism has taken some-
thing from each of the Socialisms which have emptied
into it. It is obvious enough that it has the omnivorous
marvelousness of the Shakers, combined with the infi-
delity of the Owenites. But probably the world knows
little of the tendency to socialistic speculation and
experiment which it has inherited from all three of its
confluents. It has had very little success in its local
attempts at Association ; and this has been owing chiefly
to the superior tenacity of its devotion to the great
antagonist of Association, Individual Sovereignty, which
devotion also it inherited specially from Owen through
Warren, and generally from both the Owen and Fourier
schools. In consequence of its never having been able
568 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
to produce more than very short-lived abortions of
Communities, its Socialisms have not attracted much
attention ; but it has been continually speculating and
scheming about Association, and its attempts on all
sorts of plans ranging between Owenism and Fourier-
ism, with inspiration superadded, have been almost
numberless.
One of the first of these spiritualistic attempts, and
probably a favorable specimen of the whole, was the
Mountain Cove Community. Having applied in vain
for information, to several persons who had the best
opportunity to know about this Community, we must
content ourselves with a very imperfect sketch, obtained
chiefly from statements and references furnished by
Macdonald, and from documents in the files of the
Oneida Circular.
All the witnesses we have found, testify that this
Community was set on foot by the rapping spirits in a
large circle of Spiritualists at Auburn, New York,
sometime between the years 185 i and 1853. It appears
to have had active constituents at Oneida, Verona, and
other places in Oneida and Madison Counties. Several
of the leading " New York Perfectionists" in those
places were conspicuous in the preliminary proceedings,
and some of them actually joined the emigration to
Virginia. The first reference to the movement that we
have found, is in a letter from Mr. H. N. Leet, pub-
lished in the Circular, November 16, 185 i. He says :
"The 'rappings' have attracted my attention. I have
scarcely known whether I should have to consider them
as wholly of earth, or regard them as from Hades ; or
even be ' sucked in ' with the other old Perfectionists.
SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES. 569
The reports I hear from abroad are wonderful, and some
of them well calculated to make men exclaim, ' This is
the great power of God ! ' But what I see and hear par-
takes largely of the ridiculous, if not the contemptible.
They have had frequent meetings at the houses of
Messrs. Warren, Foot, Gould, Stone, Mrs. Hitchcock,
etc.; and 'a chiel's amang them them taking notes;'
but whether he will 'prent 'em ' or or not, is uncertain.
I have from time to time been writing out what facts
have come under my observation, and do so yet.
" Yesterday in their meeting, I heard extracts of letters
from Mr. Hitchcock written from Virginia ; in which he
states that they have found the garden of Eden, the iden-
tical spot where our first parents sinned, and on which
no human foot has trod since Adam and Eve were
driven out ; that himself, Ira S. Hitchcock, was the first
who has been permitted to set his foot upon it ; and
further, that in all the convulsions of nature, the upheav-
ings and depressions, this spot has remained undisturbed
as it originally "appeared. This is the spot that is to
form the center in the redemption now at hand ; and
parts adjacent are, by convulsions and a reverse process,
to be restored to their primeval state. This is the sub-
stance of what I heard read. The revelation was said
to have been spelled out to them by raps from Paul."
In a subsequent letter published in the Circular
December 14, 185 i, Mr. Leete sent us the spiritual doc-
ument which summoned the saints to Mountain Cove,
introducing it as follows :
" I send inclosed an authentic copy of a printed cir-
cular, said to have been received by Mr. Scott, the
spiritual leader of the Virginia movement, in this man-
570 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ner, viz. : the words were seen in a vision, printed in
space, one at a time, declared off by him, and written
down by some one else."
Mountain Cove Circular.
"Go! Scarcely let time intervene. Escape the vales
of death. Pass from beneath the cloud of magnetic
human glory. Flee to the mountains whither I direct.
Rest in their embrace, and in a place fashioned and
appointed of old. There the dark cloud of magnetic
death has never rested. For I, the Lord, have thus
decreed, and in my purpose have I sworn, and it shall
come to pass. Time waiteth for no man.
" For above the power of sin a storm is gathering
that shall sweep away the refuge of lies. Come out of
her, O, my people ! for their sun shall be darkened, and
their moon turned into blood, and their stars shall fall
from their heaven. The Samson of strength feeleth for
the pillars of the temple. Her foundation already
moveth. Her ruin stayeth for the rescue of my people.
"The city of refuge is builded as a hiding place and
a shelter ; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land ; as an asylum for the afflicted ; a safety for those
fleeing from the power of sin which pursueth to destroy.
In that mountain my people shall rest secure. Above
it the cloud of glory descendeth. Thence it encom-
passeth the saints. There angels shall ascend and
descend. There the soul shall feast and be satisfied.
There is the bread and the water of life. ' And in this
mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people
a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat
things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the
SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES. 5/1
covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread
over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory ;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all
faces ; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away
from off all the earth ; for the Lord hath spoken it.'
And I will defend Zion, for she is my chosen. There
shall the redeemed descend. There shall my people be
made one. There shall the glory of the Lord appear,
descending from the tabernacle of the Most High.
"The end is not yet.
" You are the chosen. Go, bear the reproaches of my
people. Go without the camp. Lead in the conquest.
Vanquish the foe. As ye have been bidden, meekly
obey. Paradise hath no need of the things that ye love
so dearly. For earthly apparel, if obedient, ye shall have
garments of righteousness and salvation. For earthly
treasures, ye shall gather grapage from your Maker's
throne. For tears, ye shall have jewels, as dewdrops
from heaven. For sighs, notes of celestial melody.
For death, ye shall have life. For sorrow, ye shall have
fulness of joy. Cease, then, your earthly struggle.
All ye love or value, ye shall still possess. Earth is
departing. The powers and imaginations of men are
rolling together like a scroll. Escape the wreck ere it
leaps into the abyss of woe. Forget not each other.
Bear with each other. Love each other. Go forth as
lambs to the slaughter. For lo, thy King cometh, and
ere thou art slain he shall defend. Kiss the rod that
smites thee, and bow chastened at thy Maker's throne."
Here occurs a long break in our information, extend-
ing from December 185 1, to July 1853. How the Com-
munity was established and what progress it made in
572 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
that interval, the reader must imagine for himself. Our
leap is from the beginning to near the end. The Spir-
itual TelcgrapJi of July 2, 1853, contained the following :
" Mountain Cove Community. — We copy below an
article from the Journal of Progress, published in
New York. It is from the pen of Mr. Hyatt, who was
for a time a member of the Community at Mountain
Cove. Mr. Hyatt is a conscientious man, and is still a
firm believer in a rational Spiritualism. We have never
regarded the claims of Messrs. Scott and Harris with
favor, though we have thought and still think, that the
motives and life of the latter were always honorable and
pure. There are other persons at the Mountain who are
justly esteemed for their virtues ; but we most sincerely
believe they are deluded by the absurd pretensions of
Mr. Scott."
[From the Journal of Progress.'\
" Most of our readers are undoubtedly aware that
there is a company of Spiritualists now residing at
Mountain Cove, Virginia, whose claims of spiritual in-
tercourse are of a somewhat different nature from those
usually put forth by believers in other parts of the
country.
" This movement grew out of a large circle of Spir-
itualists at Auburn, New York, nearly two years since ;
but the pretensions on the part of the prime movers
became of a far more imposing nature than they were
in Auburn, soon after their location at Mountain Cove.
It is claimed that they were directed to the place which
they now occupy, by God, in fulfillment of certain
prophecies in Isaiah, for the purpose of redeeming all
who would co-operate with them and be dictated by
SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES. 573
their counsel ; and the place which they occupy is de-
nominated 'the Holy Mountain, which was sanctified
and set apart for the redemption of his people.'
" The principal mediums, James L. Scott and Thomas
L. Harris, profess absolute Divine inspiration, and en-
tire infallibility ; that the infinite God communicates
with them directly, without intermediate agency ; and
that by him they are preserved from the possibility of
error in any of their dictations which claim a spiritual
origin.
" By virtue of these assumptions, and claiming to be
the words of God, all the principles and rules of prac-
tice, whether of a spiritual or temporal nature, which
govern the believers in that place, are dictated by the
individuals above mentioned. Among the communi-
cations thus received, which are usually in the form of
arbitrary decrees, are requirements which positively
forbid those who have once formed 'a belief in the
divinity of the movement, the privilege of criticising, or
in any degree reasoning upon, the orders and communi-
cations uttered ; or in other words, the disciples are
forbidden the privilege of having any reason or con-
science at all, except that which is prescribed to them
by this oracle. The most unlimited demands of the
controlling intelligence must be acceded to by its fol-
lowers, or they will be thrust without the pale of the
claimed Divine influence, and utter and irretrievable
ruin is announced as the penalty.
"In keeping with such pretensions, these 'Matthiases'
have claimed for God his own property ; and hence men
are required to yield up their stewardships : that is, re-
linquish their temporal possessions to the Almighty.
And, in pursuance of this, there has been a large
574 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
quantity of land in that vicinity deeded without reserve
by conscientious believers, to the human vicegerents of
God above mentioned, with the understanding that such
conveyance is virtually made to the Deity !
"As would inevitably be the case, this mode of opera-
tions has awakened in the minds of the more reasoning
and reflective members, distrust and unbelief, which has
caused some, with great pecuniary loss, to withdraw from
the Community, and with others who remain, has
ripened into disaffection and violent opposition ; and the
present condition of the ' Holy Mountain' is anything
but that of divine harmony. Discord, slander and vin-
dictiveness is the order of proceedings, in which one or
both of the professed inspired mediators take an active
part ; and the prospect now is, that the claims of divine
authority in the temporal matters of * the Mountain,'
will soon be tested, and the ruling power conceded to be
absolute, or else completely dethroned."
After the above, came the following counter-statement
in the Spiritual Telegraph, August 6, 1853:
Cincinnati, J-uly 14, 1853.
" Mr. S. B. Brittan — Sir : A friend has handed me
the Telegraph of July 2, and directed my attention to an
article appearing in that number, headed ' Mountain
Cove Community,' which, although purporting to be
from the pen of one familiar with our circumstances at
the Cove, differs widely from the facts in our case.
" Suffice it for the present to say, that Messrs. Scott
and Harris, either jointly or individually, for themselves,
or as the 'human vicegerents of God,' have and hold no
deed (as the article quoted from the yoiwnal of Progress
represents) of lands at the Cove. Neither have they
SPIRITUALIST COMMUNITIES. 575
pecuniary supporters there. Nor are men residing there
required or expected to deal with them upon terms aside
from the ordinary rules of business transactions. They
have no claims upon men there for temporal benefits.
They exact no tithes, or even any degree of compen-
sation for public services ; and, although they have
preached and lectured to the people there during their
sojourn in that country, they have never received for
such services a penny; and, except what they have
received from a few liberal friends who reside in other
portions of the country, they secure their temporal
means by their own industry. Moreover, for land and
dwellings occupied by them, they are obligated to pay
rent or lease-money ; and should they at any time obtain
a deed, according to present written agreement, they are
to pay the full value to those who are the owners of
the soil and by virtue thereof still retain their steward-
ship.
" I have thus briefly stated facts ; facts of which I
should have an unbiassed knowledge, and of which I
ought to be a competent judge. These facts I have
ample means to authenticate, and together with a full
and explicit statement of the nature of the lease, when
due the public, if ever, I shall not hesitate to give. And
from these the reader may determine the character of
the entire expose, so liberally indorsed, as also other
statements so freely trumpeted, relative to us at Moun-
tain Cove.
" From some years of the most intimate intercourse
with the Rev. T. L. Harris, surrounded by circumstances
calculated to try men's souls, I am prepared to bear tes-
timony to your statements relative to his goodness and
purity ; and will add, that were all men of like charac-
5/6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ter, earth would enjoy a saving change, and that right
speedily.
" Assured that your sense of right will secure for this
brief statement, equal notoriety with the charges pre-
ferred against us — hence a place in the columns of the
Telegraph; I am, &c, J. L. Scott."
This counter-statement has the air of special pleading,
and all the information that we have obtained by com-
munication with various ex-members of the Mountain
Cove Community, goes to confirm the substance of the
preceding charges. The following extracts from a letter
in reply to some of our questions, is a specimen :
"There were indications in the acts of one or more
individuals at Mountain Cove, that plainly showed their
desire to get control of the possessions which other indi-
viduals had saved as the fruits of their industry and
economy. Those evil designs were frustrated by those
who were the intended victims of the crafty, though not
without some pecuniary sacrifice to the innocent.
From all this we infer that the Mountain Cove Com-
munity came to its end in the latter part of 1853, by a
quarrel about property ; which is all we know about it.
This was the most noted of the Spiritualist Com-
munities. The rest are not noticed by Macdonald, and,
so far as we know, hardly deserve mention.
577
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE BROCTON COMMUNITY.
We are forbidden to class this Association with the
Spiritualist Communities, by a positive disclaimer on
the part of its founders : as the reader will see further
on. Otherwise we should have said that the Brocton
Community is the last of the series which commenced
at Mountain Cove. Thomas L. Harris, the leader at
Brocton, was also one of the two leaders at Mountain
Cove, and as Swedenborgianism, his present faith, is
certainly a species of Spiritualism, not altogether unre-
lated to the more popular kind which he held in the
times of Mountain Cove, we can not be far wrong in
counting the Brocton Community as one of the sequela
of Fourierism, and in the true line of succession from
Brook Farm.
After the bad failure of non-religious Socialism in the
Owen experiments, and the worse failure of semi-reli-
gious Socialism in the Fourier experiments, a lesson
seems to have been learned, and a tendency has come
on, to lay the foundations of socialistic architecture
in some kind of Spiritualism, equivalent to religion.
This tendency commenced, as we have seen, among the
Brook Farmers, who promulgated Swedenborgianism
5/8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
almost as zealously as they did Fourierism. The same
tendency is seen in the history of the Owens, father and
son. Thus, it is evident that the entire Spiritualistic
platform has been pushed forward by a large part of its
constituency, as a hopeful basis of future Socialisms.
And the Brocton Community seems to be the final
product and representative of this tendency to union
between Spiritualism and Socialism.
As Mr Harris and Mr. Oliphant, the two conspicuous
men at Brocton, are both Englishmen, we might almost
class that Community with the exotics, which do not
properly come into our history. But the close connec-
tion of Brocton with the Spiritualistic movement, and
the general interest it has excited in this country, on the
whole entitle it to a place in the records of American
Socialisms. The following account is compiled from a
brilliant report in the New York Stin of April 30, 1869,
written by Oliver Dyer:
History and Description of the Brocton Community.
" Nine miles beyond Dunkirk, on the southerly shore
of Lake Erie, in the village of Brocton, New York, is a
Community which, in some respects, and especially as to
the central idea around which the members gather, is
probably without a parallel in the annals of mankind.
"The founder of this Community is the Rev. Thomas
Lake Harris, an Englishman by birth, but whose parents
came to this country when he was three years old. He
was for several years a noted preacher of the Univer-
salist denomination in New York. Subsequently he
went to England, where he had a noticeable career as a
preacher of strange doctrines. Between five and six
years ago he returned to this country, and settled in
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 579
Amenia, Duchess County, where he prospered as a
banker and agriculturist, until in October, 1867, he (as
he claims), in obedience to the direct leadings of God's
spirit, took up his abode at his present residence in
Chautauqua County, on the southerly shore of Lake
Erie, and founded the Brocton Community.
"The tract of land owned and occupied by the Com-
munity, comprises a little over sixteen hundred acres,
and is about two and a-half miles long, by one mile in
breadth. One-half of this tract was purchased by Mi.
Harris with his own money ; the residue was purchased
with the money of his associates, and at their request is
held by him in trust for the Community. The main
building on the premises (for there are several resi-
dences) is a low, two-story edifice straggling over much
ground.
"A deep valley runs through the estate, and along
the bed of the valley winds a copious creek, on the
northerly bank of which, at a well-selected site, stands a
saw-mill, [the inevitable !] which seems to have constant
use for all its teeth.
" The land for the most part lies warm to the sun, and
its quality and position are such that it does not require
under-draining, which is a great advantage. It is boun-
tifully supplied with wood and water and is variegated
in surface and in soil.
" About eighty acres are in grapes, of several varieties,
among which are the Concord, Isabella, Salem, lona,
Rogers's Hybrid and others. They expect much from
their grapes. The intention is to strive for quality
rather than quantity, and to run principally to table
fruit of an excellence which will command the highest
prices.
580 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" It is the intention of the Community to go exten-
sively into the dairy business, and considerable progress
has already been made in that direction. Other indus-
trial matters are also being driven ahead with skill and
vigor ; but a large portion of the estate has yet to be
brought under cultivation, and there is a deal of hard
work to be done to make the 1,600 acres presentable,
and to secure comfortable homes for the workers.
"There are about sixty adult members of the Commu-
nity, besides a number of children. Among the rest are
five orthodox clergymen ; several representatives from
Japan ; several American ladies of high social position
and exquisite culture, etc.
" But the members who attract the most attention, at
least of the newspaper world, are Lady Oliphant and her
son, Lawrence Oliphant, who are understood to be exiles
from high places in the aristocracy of England.
All these work together on terms of entire equality,
and all are very harmonious in religion, notwithstanding
their previous diversity of position and faith.
" This is a very religious Community. Swedenborg
furnishes the original doctrinal and philosophical basis
of its faith, to which Mr. Harris, as he conceives, has
been led by Providence to add other and vital matters,
which were unknown until they were revealed through
him. They reverence the Scriptures as the very word
of God.
" The fundamental religious belief of the Community
may be summed up in the dogma, that there is one God
and only one, and that he is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The religion of the Community is intensely practical,
and may be stated as, faith in Christ, and a life in
accordance with his commandments.
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 58 1
" And here comes in the question, What is a life in
accordance with Christ's commandments ? Mr. Harris
and his fellow believers hold that when a man is ' born
of the Spirit,' he is inevitably drawn into communal
relations with his brethren, in accordance with the
declaration that ' the disciples were of one heart and one
mind, and had all things in common.'
" This doctrine of Communism has been held by
myriads, and repeated attempts have been made, but
made in vain, to embody it in actual life. It is natural,
therefore, to distrust any new attempt in the same
direction. Mr. Harris is aware of this general distrust,
and of the reasons for it ; but he claims that he has
something which places his attempt beyond the vicissi-
tudes of chance, and bases it upon immutable certainty ;
that hitherto there has been no palpable criterion
whereby the existence of God could be tested, no tangi-
ble test whereby the indication of his will could be
determined ; but that such criterion and test have now
been vouchsafed, and that on such criterion and test to
him communicated, his Community is founded.
" The pivot on which this movement turns, the foun-
dation on which it rests, the grand secret of the whole
matter, is known in the Community as ' open respira-
tion,' also as * divine respiration ; ' and the starting point
of the theory is, that God created man in his own image
and likeness, and breathed into him the breath of life.
That the breathing into man of the breath of life was
the sensible point of contact between the divine and
human, between God and man. That man in his holy
state was, so to speak, directly connected with God,
by means of what might be likened to a spiritual respi-
ratory umbilical chord, which ran from God to man's
582 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
inmost or celestial nature, and constantly suffused him
with airs from heaven, whereby his spiritual respiration
or life was supported, and his entire nature, physical as
well as spiritual, kept in a state of godlike purity and
innocence, without, however, any infringement of man's
freedom.
" That after the fall of man this spiritual respiratory
connection between God and man was severed, and the
spiritual intercourse between the Creator and the crea-
ture brought to an end, and hence spiritual death. That
the great point is to have this respiratory connection
with God restored. That Mr. Harris and those who are
co-operating with him have had it restored, and are in
the constant enjoyment thereof That it is by this divine
respiration, and by no other means, that a human being
can get irrefragable, tangible, satisfactory evidence that
God is God, and that man has or can have conjunction
with God. This divine respiration retains all that is of
the natural respiration as its base and fulcrum, and
builds upon and employs it for its service.
" In the new respiration, God gives an atmosphere
that is as sensitive to moral quality as the physical res-
piration is to natural quality ; and this higher breath,
whose essence is virtue, builds up the bodies of the
virtuous, wars against disease, expels the virus of heredi-
tary maladies, renews health from its foundations, and
stands in the body as a sentinel against every plague.
When this spiritual respiration descends and takes pos-
session of the frame, there is thenceforth a guiding
power, a positive inspiration, which selects the recipient's
calling, which trains him for it, which leads him to
favorable localities, and which co-ordinates affairs on a
large scale. It will deal with groups as with individuals ;
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 583
it will re-distribute mankind ; it will re-organize the
village, the town, the workshop, the manufactory, the
agricultural district, the pastoral region, gathering
human atoms from their degradation, and crystallizing
them in resplendent unities.
" This primary doctrine has for its accompaniment a
special theory of love and marriage, which is this : In
heaven the basis of social order is marital order, and so
it must be in this world. There, all the senses are com-
pleted and included in the sense of chastity ; that sense
of chastity is there the body for the soul of conjugal
desire ; there, the corporeal element of passion is
excluded from the nuptial senses : there, the utterly
pure alone are permitted to enter into the divine state
involved in nuptial union ; and so it must be here
below. The 'sense of chastity' is the touchstone of
conjugal fitness, and is bestowed in this wise:
"When the Divine breaths have so pervaded the
nervous structures that the higher attributes of sensation
begin to waken from their immemorial torpor, and to
react against disease, a sixth sense is as evident as hear-
ing is to the ear, or sight to vision. It is distributed
through the entire frame. So exquisitely does it pervade
the hands that the slightest touch declares who are
chaste and who are unchaste. And this sixth sense is
the sense of chastity. It comes from God, who is the
infinite chastity.
"Within this sense of chastity nuptial love has its
dwelling-place. So utterly hostile is it by nature to
what the world understands by desire and passion, that
the waftings of an atmosphere bearing these elements in
its bosom affect it with loathing. This sense of chastity
literally clothes every nerve. A living, sensitive gar-
584 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ment, without spot or seam, it invests the frame of the
universal sensations, and gives instant warning of the
approach of impurity even in thought.
" In true nuptial love, which is born of love to God,
the nuptial pair, from the inmost oneness of the divine
being, are embosomed each in each, as loveliness in love-
liness, innocence in innocence, blessedness in blessed-
ness. In possessing each other they possess the Lord,
who prepares the two to become one heart, one mind,
one soul, one love, one wisdom, one felicity. There are
ladies and gentlemen in the Community who claim to
have attained this sense of chastity to such a degree
that they instantly detect the presence of an impure
person.
" It may surprise the reader to hear that what is
called 'Spiritualism' finds no favor in this Community.
All phases of the spirit-rapping business are abhorred.
"A cardinal principle of government, as to their own
affairs in the Community, is unity of conviction. The
Council of Direction consists of nineteen members ;
and if any one of them fails to perceive the propriety
of a course or plan agreed upon by the other eighteen,
it is accepted as an indication of Providence that the
time for carrying out the course or plan has not yet
come ; and they patiently wait until the entire Council
becomes 'of one heart and one mind' as to, the matter
proposed.
"They do not hunger for proselytes, nor seek public
recognition. They know that the spirit is the great
matter ; and that an enterprise, as well as a human
being, or a tree, must grow from the internal, vital prin-
ciple, and not from external agglomerations. Whoso-
ever, therefore, applies for admission to their circle is
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 585
subject to crucial spiritual tests and a revealing proba-
tion. Unconditional surrender to God's will, absolute
chastity not only in act but in spirit, complete self-
abnegation, a full acceptance of Christ as the only and
true God, are fundamental conditions even to a proba-
tionship.
" Painting, sculpture, music and all the accomplish-
ments are to have fitting development. There is no
Quakerism or Puritanism in them. Man (including
woman) is to be developed liberally, thoroughly, grandly,
but all in the name of the Lord, and with an eye single
to God's glory. Science, art, literature, languages, me-
chanics, philosophy, whatever will help to give back to
man his lost mastership of the universe, is to be
subordinated for that purpose.
" Their domestic affairs, including cooking and wash-
ing, are carried on much as in the outside world. They
live in many mansions, and have no unitary household.
But they are alive to all the teachings of science and
sociology on these topics, and intend to make machinery
and organization do as much of the drudgery of the
Community as possible.
" They have no peculiar costume or customs. They
eat, drink, dress, converse and worship God just like
cultivated Christians elsewhere. They have no regular
preaching at present, nor literary entertainments, but
all these are to come in due season. They intend, as
their numbers increase, and as the organization solidifies,
to inaugurate whatever institutions may be necessary to
promote their intellectual and spiritual welfare, and also
to establish such industries and manufactures on the do-
main, as sound, economical discretion, vivified and
guided by the new respiration, shall dictate.
586 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
" By means of the new respiration they think that, in
the lapse of time, mankind will become regenerate, and
society be reconstructed, and physical disease banished
from the earth, and a millennial reign inaugurated under
the domination of Divine order. They especially ex-
pect great things in the East ; that the doctrine of the
Lord, as set forth by Swedenborg and Mr. Harris, and
re-inforced by the new respiration, will by and by sweep
over Asia, where the people are already beginning to be
tossed on the waves of spiritual unrest, and are longing
for a higher religious development."
After this luminous introduction, Mr. Dana, the
editor of the Sun, followed with the article ensuing :
" WILL IT SUCCEED }
" The account which we published yesterday, from
the accomplished pen of Mr. Oliver Dyer, of the new
Community in Chautauqua County, which Mr. Harris,
Mr. Oliphant and their associates are engaged in
founding, will, we think, excite attention everywhere.
Considered as a religious movement alone, the enter-
prise merits a candid and even sympathetic attention.
Its fundamental ideas are such as must promote thought
and inquiry wherever they are promulgated. That they
are all true, as a matter of theological doctrine, we cer-
tainly are not prepared to affirm ; but that they challenge
a respectful interest in the minds of all sincere inquirers
after spiritual truth, can not be disputed. But it is not
as a new form of Christianity, with new dogmas and new
pretensions, that we have to deal with the system pro-
claimed at Brocton. What especially engages our
observation is the social aspect of the undertaking. Is
it founded upon notions that promise any considerable
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 587
advance upon the present form of society ? Does it
contain within itself the elements of success ?
" As respects the first question, we are free to answer
that the scheme of the Brocton philosophers is too little
developed, too immature in their own minds, to allow
of any dogmatic judgment respecting it. The religious
phase of the Community, and the enthusiasm which be-
longs to it, have not yet crystallized in relations of
industry, art, education and external life, sufficiently to
show the precise end at which it will aim. Indeed it
would seem that its founders have avoided rather than
cultivated those speculations on the organization of
society to which most social innovators give the first
place in their thoughts. Starting from man's highest
spiritual nature alone, they prefer to leave every practi-
cal problem to be solved as it rises, not by scientific
theory or business shrewdness, but by the help of that
supernatural inspiration which forms a vital point in
their theology. But on the other hand, they are pledged
to democratic equality, to perfect respect for the dignity
of labor, and to brotherly justice in the distribution
alike of the advantages of life and the earnings of the
common toil. We may conclude, then, that despite the
Communism which seems to lie at the foundation of
their design, with its annihilation of individual property,
and its tendency to annihilate individual character also,
all persons who can adopt the religion of this Commun-
ity will find a happier life within its precincts than they
can look for elsewhere. But that it will initiate a new
stage in the world's social progress, or exercise any per-
ceptible influence upon the general condition of man-
kind, is not to be expected.
" As to the probability of its lasting, that seems to us
588 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
to be strong. Communities based upon peculiar religious
views, have generally succeeded. The Shakers and the
Oneida Community are conspicuous illustrations of this
fact ; while the failure of the various attempts made by
the disciples of Fourier, Owen and others, who have not
had the support of religious fanaticism, proves that
without this great force the most brilliant social theories
are of little avail. Have the Brocton people enough of
it to carry them safely through ^ Or is their religion of
too transcendental a character to form a sure and tena-
cious cement for their social structure ^ These questions
.only time can positively answer ; but we incline to the
belief that they are likely to live and prosper, to become
numerous and wealthy, and to play a much more influ-
ential part in the world than either of the bodies of
religious Socialists that have preceded them."
The reader will perhaps expect us to say something
from our stand-point, in answer to Mr. Dana's question,
"Will it succeed .''" and as the name of the Oneida Com-
munity is called in connection with the Shakers and the
Broctonians, it seems proper that we should do what we
can to help on a fair comparison of these competing
Socialisms.
In the first place, many of the cardinal principles
reported in Mr. Dyer's account, command our highest
respect and sympathy. Religion as the basis, inspira-
tion as the guide, Providence as the insurer, reverence
for the Bible. Communism of property, unanimity in
action, abstinence from proselytism, self-improvement
instead of preaching and publicity, liberality of culture
in science, art, literature, language, mechanics, philoso-
phy, and whatever will help to give back man his lost
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 589
mastership of the universe, these and many other of
the fundamentals at Brocton we recognize as old
acquaintances and very dear friends. With this acknowl-
edgment premised, we will be free to point out some
things which we regard as unpromising weaknesses in
the constitution of the new Socialism.
The Brocton Community is evidently very religious,
and so far may be regarded as strong in the first element
of success. Its religion, however, is Swedenborgianism,
revised and adapted to the age, but not essentially
changed ; and we have seen that the experiments in
Socialism which Swedenborgians have heretofore made,
have not been successful. The Yellow Spring Com-
munity in Owen's time, and the Leraysville Phalanx
in the Fourier epoch, were avowedly Swedenborgian
Associations ; but they failed as speedily and utterly as
their contemporaries. Notwithstanding the claim of
a wonderful affinity between Swedenborgianism and
Fourierism which the Harbinger used to make, it seems
probable that the afflatus of pure Swedenborgianism is
not favorable to Communism or to close Association of
any kind. Swedenborg in his personal character was
not a Socialist or an organizer in any way, but a very
solitary speculator ; and the heavens he set before the
world were only sublimated embodiments of the ordi-
nary principle of private property, in wives and in
every thing else.
When we say that the Brocton Community is Swe-
denborgian, we do not forget that Mr. Harris professes
to have made important additions to the Teutonic
revelations. But we see that the fundamental doctrines
reported by Mr. Dyer are essentially the same as those
we have found in Swedenborg's works. Even the
590 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
pivotal discovery of " internal respiration" is not original
with Mr. Harris. Swedenborg had it in theory and in
personal experience. He ascribes the purity of the
Adamic church to this condition, and its degeneracy
and destruction, to the loss of it. Thus he says :
" It was shown me, that [at the time of the degener-
acy of the Adamites] the internal respiration, which
proceeded from the navel toward the interior region of
the breast, retired toward the region of the back and
toward the abdomen, thus outward and downward.
Immediately before the flood scarce any internal respi-
ration existed. At last it was annihilated in the breast,
and its subjects were choked or suffocated. In those
who survived, external respiration was opened. With
the cessation of internal respiration, immediate inter-
course with angels and the instant and instinctive
perception of truth and falsehood, were lost."
And Mr. White, the latest biographer of Swedenborg,
says of him :
" The possession by him of the power of easy transi-
tion of sense and consciousness from the lower to the
upper world, arose, it would appear, from some peculiari-
ties in his physical organization. The suspension of
respiration under deep thought, common to all men, was
preternaturally developed in him ; and in his diary he
makes a variety of observations on his case ; as for
instance he says :
" ' My respiration has been so formed by the Lord, as
to enable me to breathe inwardly for a long time without
the aid of the external air, my respiration being directed
within, and my outward senses, as well as actions, still
continuing in their vigor, which is only possible with
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 59I
persons who have been so formed by the Lord. I have
also been instructed that my breathing was so directed,
without my being aware of it, in order to enable me
to be with spirits, and to speak with them.'
" Again, he tells us that there are many species of
respirations inducing divers introductions to the spirits
and angels with whom the lungs conspire ; and goes on
to say, that he was at first habituated to insensible
breathing in his infancy, when at morning and evening
prayers, and occasionally afterward when exploring the
concordance between the heart, lungs and brain, and
particularly when writing his physiological works ; that
for a number of years, beginning with his childhood, he
was introduced to internal respiration mainly by intense
speculations in which breathing stops, for otherwise in-
tense thought is impossible. When heaven was open to
him, and he spoke with spirits, sometimes for nearly an
hour he scarcely breathed at all. The same phenomena
occurred when he was going to sleep, and he thinks that
his preparation went forward during repose. So various
was his breathing, so obedient did it become, that he
thereby obtained the range of the higher world, and
access to all its spheres."
Thus it would seem that what Mr. Harris is attempt-
ing at Brocton is, to realize on a large scale the
experience of Swedenborg, and reproduce the Adamic
church. This " open respiration," however, must be an
oracular influx not essentially different from that which
guides the Shakers, the Ebenezers, and all the religious
Communities. We have called it afflatus. It does not
appear to be strong enough in the Brocton Community
to dissolve old-fashioned familism ; which we consider a
592 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
bad sign, as our readers know. There is an inevitable
competition between the family-spirit and the Com-
munity-spirit, which all the "internal respiration" that
we have enjoyed, has never been able to harmonize in
any other way than by thoroughly subordinating family
interests, and making the Community the prime organi-
zation. And it is quite certain that this has been the
experience of the Shakers and all the other successful
Communities. Indeed this is the very revolution that is
involved in real Christianity. The private family has
been and is the unit of society in naturalism, i. e. in the
pre-Christian, pagan state. But the Church, which is
equivalent to the Association, or Community, or Pha-
lanx, is clearly the unit of society in the Christian
scheme.
The Brocton philosophy of love and marriage is
manifestly Swedenborgian. In some passages it seems
like actual Shakerism, but the prevailing sense is that
of intensified conjugality, a la Swedenborg. Here
again the Swedenborgian afflatus will be very unfavor-
able to success. Swedenborg wrote in the same vein as
Mr. Harris talks, about chastity ; but withal he kept
mistresses at several times in his life ; and he recom-
mends mistress-keeping to those who "can not contain."
Moreover he gives married men thirty-four reasons,
many of them very trivial, for keeping concubines.
Above all, his theory of marriage in heaven, involv-
ing the sentimentalism of predestined mating (which
doubtless is retained entire in the Brocton philosophy),
not only leads directly to contempt of ordinary mar-
riage, as being an artificial system of blunders, but
necessarily authorizes the "right of search" to find the
true mate. The practical result of this theory is seen
BROCTON COMMUNITY. 593
in the system of "free love," or experimenting for
"affinities," whichi has prevailed among Spiritualists. It
will require a very high power of " internal respiration"
to steer the Brocton Community through these dangers,
resulting from its affiliation with the Swedenborgian
principality. Close Association is a worse place than
ordinary society for working out the delicate problems
of the negative theory of chastity.
The Broctonians are reported as reverencing the
Bible, but this can only mean that they reverence it
in Swedenborg's fashion. He rejected about half of it
(including all of Paul's writings) as uninspired ; and
worshiped the rest as full of divinity, stuffed in every
letter and dot with double and triple significance, of
which significance he alone had the key.
Probably Mr. Harris's principal deviation from the
Swedenborgian theology, is the introduction of his
original faith of Universalism. Swedenborg lived and
wrote before modern benevolence was developed so far
as to require the elimination of future punishment ; and
with all his laxity on other points, he was more orthodox
and uncompromising in regard to the eternity of hell-
torments, and even as to their sulphuric nature, than
any writer the world has ever seen before or since.
Hence the Spiritualists, who generally belong to the
Universalist school, either have to quarrel with Sweden-
borg openly, as Andrew Jackson Davis did, or modify
his system on this point, as T. L. Harris has done.
We were surprised, as Mr. Dyer supposes his readers
might be, to learn that the Brocton Communists abhor
"all phases of the rapping business ;" for we remember
that Mr. Harris was counted among Spiritualists in old
times, and we see that he is still in pursuit of the
594 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Adamic status and other attainments that were the
objective points of the Mountain Cove Community.
As to externals, the Brocton Community, we fear, has
got the land-mania, which ruined so many of the Owen
and Fourier Associations. Sixteen hundred acres must
be a dreary investment for a young and small Com-
munity. If our experience is worth anything, and if we
might offer our advice, we should say. Sell two-thirds of
that domain and put the proceeds into a machine-shop.
Agriculture, after all, is not a primary business. Ma-
chinery goes before it ; always did and always will more
and more. Plows and harrows, rakes and hoes, were the
dynamics even of ancient farming ; and the men that
invented and made them were greater than farmers.
The Oneida Community made its fortune by first sink-
ing forty thousand dollars in training a set of young men
as machinists. The business thus started has proved to
be literally a high school in comparison with farming or
almost any other business, not excepting that of acade-
mies and colleges. With that school always growing in
strength and enthusiasm, we can make the tools for all
other businesses, and the whole range of modern enter-
prise is open to us.
If the Brocton leaders have plenty of money at
interest, we see no reason why they may not live pleas-
antly and do well in some form of loose co-operation.
But with the weaknesses we have noticed, we doubt
whether their "internal respiration " will harmonize them
in close Association, or enable them to get their living
by amateur farming.
595
CHAPTER XLV.
THE SHAKERS.
We should hardly do justice to the Shakers if we should
leave them undistinguished among the obscure exotics.
Their influence on American Socialisms has been so
great as to set them entirely apart from the other antique
religious Communities. Macdonald makes more of them
than of any other single Community, devoting nearly
a hundred pages to their history and peculiarities. Most
of his material relating to them, however, may be found
in their own current publications ; and need not be re-
produced here. But there is one document in his
collection giving an " inside view " of their social and
religious life, which we are inclined to publish for special
reasons. It is, in the first place, a picture of their daily
routine, as faithful as could be expected from one who
appears to have been neither a friend nor an enemy to
them ; and its representations in this respect are verified
substantially by various Shaker publications. But it is
specially interesting to us as a disclosure of the his-
torical secret which connects Shakerism with "modern
Spiritualism." , Elder Evans, the conspicuous man of
596 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the Shakers, in his late autobiography alludes to this
secret in the following terms :
" In 1837 to 1844, there was an influx from the spirit
world, confirming the faith of many disciples, who had
lived among believers for years, and extending through-
out all the eighteen [Shaker] societies, making media by
the dozen, whose various exercises, not to be suppressed
even in their public meetings, rendered it imperatively
necessary to close them all to the world during a period
of seven years, in consequence of the then unprepared
state of the world, to which the whole of the manifesta-
tions, and the meetings too, would have been as unadul-
terated foolishness, or as inexplicable mysteries.
" The spirits then declared, again and again, that,
when they had done their work among the inhabitants
of Zion, they would do a work in the world, of such
magnitude, that not a place nor a hamlet upon earth
should remain unvisited by them.
"After their mission among us was finished, we
supposed that the manifestations would immediately
begin in the outside world ; but we were much disap-
pointed ; for we had to wait four years before the work
began, as it finally did, at Rochester, New York. But
the rapidity of its course throughout the nations of
the earth (as also the social standing and intellectual
importance of the converts), has far exceeded the
predictions.'' — Atlantic Monthly, May, 1869.
The narrative we are about to present relates to the
period of closed doors here mentioned, and to some of
the "manifestations" which had to be withdrawn from
public view, lest they should be regarded as " unadulter-
ated foolishness." It is perhaps the only testimony the
THE SHAKERS. 59/
world has in regard to the events which, according to
Evans, were the real beginnings of modern Spiritualism.
Macdonald does not give the name of the writer, but
says that he was an " intimate and esteemed friend, who
went among the Shakers partly to escape worldly
troubles, and partly through curiosity ; and that his
story is evidently clear-headed and sincere."
Four Months Among the Shakers.
"Circumstances that need not be rehearsed, induced
me to visit the Shaker Society at Watervliet, in the win-
ter of 1842 — 3. Soon after my arrival, I was conducted
to the Elder whose business it was to deal with inquirers.
He was a good-looking old man, with a fine open coun-
tenance, and a well-formed head, as I could see from its
being bald. I found him very intelligent, and soon made
known to him my business, which was to learn some-
thing about the Shakers and their conditions of receiving
members. On my observing that I had seen favorable
accounts of their society in the writings of Mr. Owen,
Miss Martineau, and other travelers in the United
States, he replied, that ' those who wished to know the
Shakers, must live wit.h them ; ' and this remark proved
to be true. He propounded to me at considerable length
their faith, ' the daily cross' they were obliged to take
up against the devil and the flesh, and the supreme
virtue of a life of celibacy. When he had concluded I
asked if those who wished to join the society were ex-
pected to acknowledge a belief in all the articles of
their faith .'' To which he replied, ' that they were not,
for many persons came there to join them, who had
never heard their gospel preached ; but they were
always received, and an opportunity given them of ac-
598 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
cepting or rejecting it.' He then informed me of the
conditions under which they received candidates : ' All
new comers have one week's trial, to see how they like ;
and after that, if they wish to continue they must take up
the daily cross, and commence the work of regeneration
and salvation, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ
and Mother Ann.' My first cross, he informed me,
would be to confess all the wicked acts I had ever com-
mitted. I asked him if he gave absolution like a Catho-
lic priest. He replied, ' that God forgave sins and not
they ; but it was necessary in beginning the work of
salvation, to unburden the mind of all its past sins.' I
thought this confession (demanded of strangers) was-a
piece of good policy on their part ; for it enabled the
Elder who received the confession, to form a tolerable
opinion of the individual to be admitted. I agreed
however before confession to make a week's trial of the
place, and was accordingly invited to supper ; after
which I was shown to the sleeping room specially set
apart for new members. I was not left here more than
an hour when a small bell rang, and one of the brothers
entered the room and invited me to go to the family
meeting ; where I saw for the first time their mode of
worshiping God in the dance. I thought it was an
exciting exercise, and I should have been more pleased
if they had had instrumental, instead of vocal music.
" At first my meals were brought to me in my room,
but after a few days I was invited to commence the
work of regeneration and prepare for confession, that I
might associate with the rest of the brothers. On
making known my readiness to confess, I was taken to
the private confession-room, and there recounted a brief
history of my past life. This appeared rather to please
THE SHAKERS. 599
the Elder, and he observed that I ' had not been very
wicked.' I replied, ' No, I had not abounded in acts of
crime and debauchery.' But the old man, to make sure
I was not deceiving him, tried to frighten me, by telling
me of individuals who had not made a full confession of
their wickedness, and who could find no peace or
pleasure until they came back and revealed all. He
assured me moreover that no wicked person could con-
tinue there long without being found out. I was curious
to know how such persons would be detected ; so he
took me to the window and pointed out the places where
' Mother Ann ' had stationed four angels to watch over
her children ; and ' these angels,' he said, ' always com-
municated any wickedness done there, or the presence
of any wicked person among them.' ' But,' he con-
tinued, ' you can not understand these things ; neither
can you believe them, for you have not yet got faith
enough.' I replied : ' I can not see the angels ! ' ' No,'
said he, ' I can not see them with the eye of sense ; but
J can see them with the eye of faith. You must labor
for faith : and when any thing troubles you that you can
not understand or believe, come to me, and do not
express doubts to any of the brethren.' The Elder then
put on my eyes a pair of spiritual golden spectacles, to
make me see spiritual things. I instinctively put up my
hands to feel them, which made the old gentleman half
laugh, and he said, ' Oh, you can not feel them ; they
will not incommode you, but will help you to see spirit-
ual things.'
"After this I was permitted to eat with the family and
invited to attend their love-meetings. I was informed
that I had perfect liberty to leave the village whenever
I chose to do so ; but that I was to receive no pay for
600 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
my services if I were to leave ; I should be provided for,
the same as if I were one of the oldest members, with
food, clothing and lodgings, according to their rules.
DAILY ROUTINE.
" The hours of rising were five o'clock in the summer,
and half-past five in the winter. The family all rose at
the toll of the bell, and in less than ten minutes vacated
the bed-rooms. The sisters then distributed themselves
throughout the rooms, and made up all the beds, putting
every thing in the most perfect order before breakfast.
The brothers proceeded to their various employments,
and made a commencement for the day. The cows
were milked, and the horses were fed. At seven o'clock
the bell rang for breakfast, but it was ten minutes after
when we went to the tables. The brothers and sisters
assembled each by themselves, in rooms appointed for
the purpose ; and at the sound of a small bell the doors
of these rooms opened, and a procession of the family
was formed in the hall, each individual being in his or
her proper place, as they would be at table. The
brothers came first, followed by the sisters, and the
whole marched in solemn silence to the dining-room.
The brothers and sisters took separate tables, on oppo-
site sides of the room. All stood up until each one had
arrived at his or her proper place, and then at a signal
from the Elder at the head of the table, they all knelt
down for about two minutes, and at another signal they
all arose and commenced eating their breakfast. Each
individual helped himself; which was easily done, as the
tables were so arranged that between every four persons
there was a supply of every article intended for the
meal. At the conclusion they all arose and marched
THE SHAKERS. 6o 1
away from the tables in the same manner as they
marched to them ; and during the time of marching,
eating, and re-marching, not one word was spoken, but
the most perfect silence was preserved.
" After breakfast all proceeded immediately to their
respective employments, and continued industriously
occupied until ten minutes to twelve o'clock, when the
bell announced dinner. Farmers then left the field and
mechanics their shops, all washed their hands, and
formed procession again, and marched to dinner in the
same way as to breakfast. Immediately after dinner
they went to work again, (having no hour for resting),
and continued steady at it until the bell announced
supper. At supper the same routine was gone through
as at the other meals, and all except the farmers went to
work again. The farmers were supposed to be doing
what were called ' chores,' which appeared to mean any
little odd jobs in and about the stables and barns. At
eight o'clock all work was ended for the day, and the
family went to what they called a ' union meeting.'
This meeting generally continued one hour, and then, at
about nine o'clock, all retired to bed."
UNION MEETINGS.
"The two Elders and the two Eldresses held their
meetings in the Elders' room. The three Deacons and
the three Deaconesses met in one of their rooms. The
rest of the family, in groups of from six to eight brothers
and sisters, met in other rooms. At these meetings it
was customary for the seats to be arranged in two rows
about four feet apart. The sisters sat in one row, and
the brothers in the other, facing each other. The meet-
ings were rather dull, as the members had nothing to
602 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
converse about save the family afifairs ; for those who
troubled themselves about the things of the world, were
not considered good Shakers. It was expected that in
coming there we should leave the ' world ' behind us.
The principal subject of conversation was eating and
drinking. One brother sometimes eulogized a sister
whom he thought to be the best cook, and who could
make the best 'Johnny-cake.' At one meeting that I at-
tended, there was a lively conversation about what we
had for dinner ; and by this means, it might be said, we
enjoyed our dinner twice over.
" I have thus given the routine for one day ; and each
week-day throughout the year was the same. The only
variation was in the evening. Besides these union
meetings, every alternate evening was devoted to
dancing. Sundays also had a routine of their own,
which I will not detail.
" During the time I was with the Shakers, I never
heard one of them read the Bible or pray in public.
Each one was permitted to pray or let it alone as he
pleased, and I believe there was very little praying
among them. Believing as they did that all 'worldly
things' should be left in the 'world' behind them, they
did not even read the ordinary literature of the day.
Newspapers were only for the use of the Elders and
Deacons. The routine I have described was continually
going on ; and it was their boast that they were then
the same in their habits and manners as they were sixty
years before. The furniture of the dwellings was of the
same old-fashioned kind that the early Dutch settlers
used ; and every thing about them and their dwellings, I
was taught, was originally designed in heaven, and the
designs transmitted to them by angels. The plan of
THE SHAKERS. 603
their buildings, the style of their furniture, the pattern
of their coats and pants, and the cut of their hair, is all
resfulated accordinsf to communications received from
heaven by Mother Ann. I was gravely told by the first
Elder, that the inhabitants of the other world were
Shakers, and that they lived in Community the same as
we did, but that they were more perfect.
THE DANCING MEETINGS.
" At half-past seven P. M. on the dancing days, all the
members retired to their separate rooms, where they sat
in solemn silence, just gazing at the stove, until the sil-
ver tones of a small tea-bell gave the signal for them to
assemble in the large hall. Thither they proceeded in
perfect order and solemn silence. Each had on thin
dancing-shoes ; and on entering the door of the hall
they walked on tip-toe, and took up their positions as
follows : the brothers formed a rank on the right, and
the sisters on the left, facing each other, about five feet
apart. After all were in their proper places the chief
Elder stepped into the center of the space, and gave an
exhortation for about five minutes, concluding with an
invitation to them all to ' go forth, old men, young
men and maidens, and worship God with all their might
in the dance.' Accordingly they * went forth,' the men
stripping off their coats and remaining in their shirt-
sleeves. First they formed a procession and marched
around the room at double-quick time, while four
brothers and four sisters stood in the center singing for
them. After marching in this manner until they got a
little warn^, they commenced dancing, and continued it
until they were all pretty well tired. During the dance
the sisters kept on one side, and the brothers on the
604 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Other, and not a a word was spoken by any of them.
After they appeared to have had enough of this exercise,
the Elder gave the signal to stop, when immediately
each one took his or her place in an oblong circle
formed around the room, and all waited to see if any
one had received a 'gift,' that is, an inspiration to do
something odd. Then two of the sisters would com-
mence whirling round like a top, with their eyes shut ;
and continued this motion for about fifteen minutes ;
when they suddenly stopped and resumed their places,
as steady as if they had never stirred. During the
'whirl' the members stood round like statues, looking
on in solemn silence.
A MESSAGE FROM MOTHER ANN.
"On some occasions when a sister had stopped her
whirling, she would say, ' I have a communication to
make ; ' when the head Eldress would step to her side
and receive the communication, and then make known
the nature of it to the company. The first message I
heard was as follows : ' Mother Ann has sent two angels
to inform us that a tribe of Indians has been round here
two days, and want the brothers and sisters to take them
in. They are outside the building there, looking in at
the windows.' I shall never forget how I looked round
at the windows, expecting to see the yellow faces, when
this announcement was made ; but I believe some of
the old folks who eyed me, bit their lips and smiled. It
caused no alarm to the rest, but the first Elder exhorted
the brothers ' to take in the poor spirits and assist them
to get salvation.' He afterward repeated mofe of what
the angels had said, viz., 'that the Indians were a savage
tribe who had all died before Columbus discovered
THE SHAKERS. 605
America, and had been wandering about ever since.
Mother Ann wanted them to be received into the meet-
ing to-morrow night.' After this we dispersed to our
separate bed-rooms, with the hope of having a future
entertainment from the Indians.
INDIAN ORGIES.
" The next dancing night we again assembled in the
same manner as before, and went through the marching
and dancing as usual ; after which the hall doors were
opened, and the Elder invited the Indians to come in.
The doors were soon shut again, and one of the sisters
(the same who received the original communication) in-
formed us that she saw Indians all around and among
the brothers and sisters. The Elder then urged upon
the members the duty of 'taking them in.' Whereupon
eight or nine sisters became possessed of the spirits of
Indian squaws, and about six of the brethren became
Indians. Then ensued a regular pow-wow, with whoop-
ing and yelling and strange antics, such as would require
a Dickens a describe. The sisters and brothers squat-
ted down- on the floor together, Indian fashion, and the
Elders and Eldresses endeavored to keep them asunder,
telling the men they must be separated from the squaws,
and otherwise instructing them in the rules of Shaker-
ism. Some of the Indians then wanted some 'succotash,'
which was soon brought them from the kitchen in two
wooden dishes, and placed on the floor ; when they com-
menced eating it with their fingers. These performances
continued till about ten o'clock ; then the chief Elder
requested the Indians to go away, telling them they
would find some one waiting to conduct them to the
Shakers in the heavenly world. At this announcement
6o6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the possessed men and women became themselves again,
and all retired to rest.
" The above was the first exhibition of the kind that
I witnessed, but it was a very trifling affair to what I
afterward saw. To enable you to understand these
scenes, I must give you as near as I can, the ideas the
Shakers have of the other world. As I gathered from
conversations with the Elder, and from his teaching and
preaching at the meetings, it is as follows : Heaven is a
Shaker Community on a very large scale. Every thing
in it is spiritual. Jesus Christ is the head Elder, and
Mother Ann the head Eldress. The buildings are large
and splendid, being all of white marble. There are
large orchards with all kinds of fruit. There are also
very large gardens laid out in splendid style, with beau-
tiful rivers flowing through them ; but all is spiritual.
Outside of this heaven the spirits of the departed wan-
der about on the surface of the earth (which is the
Shaker hell), till they are converted to Shakerism.
Spirits are sent out from the aforesaid heaven on mis-
sionary tours, to preach to the wandering ones until
they profess the faith, and then they are admitted into
the heavenly Community.
SPIRITUAL PRESENTS.
" At one of the meetings, after a due amount of
marching and dancing, by which all the members had
got pretty well excited, two or three sisters commenced
whirling, which they continued to do for some time, and
then . stopped suddenly and revealed to us that Mother
Ann was present at the meeting, and that she had
brought a dozen baskets of spiritual fruit for her
children ; upon which the Elder invited all to go forth
THE SHAKERS. 607
to the baskets in the center of the floor, and help them-
selves. Accordingly they all stepped forth and went
through the various motions of taking fruit and eating
it. You will wonder if I helped myself to the fruit, like
the rest. No ; I had not faith enough to see the baskets
or the fruit ; and you may think, perhaps, that I laughed
at the scene ; but in truth, I was so affected by the
general gravity and the solemn faces I saw around me,
that it was. impossible for me to laugh.
" Other things as well as fruit were sometimes sent
as presents, such as spiritual golden spectacles. These
heavenly ornaments came in the same way as the fruit,
and just as much could be seen of them. The first pres-
ents of this kind that were received during my residence
there, came as follows : A sister whirled for some time ;
then stopped and informed the Eldress as usual that
Mother Ann had sent a messenger with presents for
some of her most faithful children. She then went
through the action of handing the articles to the Eldress,
at the same time mentioning what they were, and for
whom. As near as I can remember, there was a pair
of golden spectacles, a large eye-glass with a chain, and
a casket of love for the Elder to distribute. The Eldress
went through the act of putting the spectacles and chain
upon the individuals they were intended for ; and the
Elder in like manner opened the casket and threw out
the love by handsful, while all the members stretched out
their hands to receive, and then pressed them to their
bosoms. All this appeared to me very childish, and I
could not help so expressing myself to the Elder, at the
first opportunity that offered. He replied, 'that this was
what he labored for, viz., to be a simple Shaker ; that
the proud and worldly, the so-called great men of this
6o8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
world, must become as simple as they, as simple as lit-
tle children, before they can enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. They must suffer themselves to be called fools
for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. These were the
crosses they had to bear.'
"The Elder would sometimes kindly invite me to his
room and ask me what I thought of the meeting last
night. This was generally after those meetings at
which there had been some great revelation from heaven,
or some pow-wow with the spirits. I could only reply
that I was much astonished, and that these things were
altogether new to me. He would then tell me that I
would see greater things than these. But I replied that
it required more faith to believe them than I possessed.
Then he would e.xhort me to 'labor for faith, and I would
get it. He did not expect young believers to get faith
all at once ; although some got it faster than others.'
SPIRITUAL MUSIC AND BATHING.
" On the second Sunday I spent with the Shakers,
there was a curious exhibition, which I saw only once.
After dinner all the members assembled in the hall and
sang two songs ; when the Elder informed them that it
was a 'gift for them to march in procession, with their
golden instruments playing as they marched, to the holy
fountain, and wash away all the stains that they had
contracted by sinful thoughts or feelings ; for Mother
was pleased to see her children pure and holy.' I looked
around for the musical instruments, but as they were
spiritual I could not see them. The procession marched
two and two, into the yard and round the square, and
came to a halt in the center. During the march each
one made a sound with the mouth, to please him or her-
THE SHAKERS. 609
self, and at the same time went through the motions of
playing on some particular instrument, such as the
Clarionet, French-horn, Trombone, Bass-drum, etc. ; and
such a noise was made, that I felt as if I had got among
a band of lunatics. It appeared to me much more of a
burlesque overture than any I ever heard performed by
Christy's Minstrels. The yard was covered with grass,
and a stick marked the center of the fountain. Another
song was sung, and the Elder pointed to the spiritual
fountain, at the same time observing, 'it could only be
seen by those who had sufficient faith.' Most of the
brethren then commenced going through the motions of
washing the face and hands ; but finally some of them
tumbled themselves in all over ; that is, they rolled on
the grass, and went through many comical and fantastic
capers. My room-mate, Mr. B., informed me that he
had seen several such exhibitions during the time he
had been living there.
A SHAKER FUNERAL.
" One of the sisters of a neighboring family died, and
our family were notified to attend the funeral. On
arriving at the place, we were shown into a room, and at
a signal from a small bell, we were formed into a proces-
sion and marched to the large dancing-hall, at the
entrance to which the corpse was laid out in a coffin, so
as to be seen by all as they passed in. The company
then formed in two grand divisions, the brothers on one
side, and the sisters on the other, one division facing the
other. The service commenced by singing ; after which
the funeral sermon was preached by the Elder. He set
forth in as forcible a manner as he seemed capable of,
the uncertainty of life, the character of the deceased
6lO AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
sister, what a true and faithful child of Mother's she
was, and how many excellent qualities she possessed.
The head Eldress also gave her testimony of praise to
the deceased, alluding to her patience and resignation
while sick, and her desire to die and go to Mother.
After a little more singing one of the sisters announced
that the spirit of the deceased was present, and that she
desired to return her thanks to the various sisters who
waited upon her while she was sick ; and named the dif-
ferent individuals who had been kindest to her. She
had seen Mother Ann in heaven, and had been intro-
duced to the brothers and sisters, and she gave a flatter-
ing account of the happiness enjoyed in the other
world. Another sister joined in and corroborated these
statements, and gave about the same version of the
message. After another song the coffin was closed, put
into a sleigh, and conveyed to the grave, and buried
without further ceremony.
A DAY OF SWEEPING AND SCRUBBING.
"An order was received from Mother Ann that a day
should be set apart for purification. I had no infor-
mation of this great solemnity until the previous
evening, when the Elder announced that to-morrow
would be observed as a day for general purification.
' The brothers musi clean their respective work-shops, by
sweeping the walls, and removing every cobweb from
the corners and under their work-benches, and wash the
floors clean by scrubbing them with sand. By doing
this they would remove all the devils and wicked spirits
that might be lodging in the different buildings ; for
where cobwebs and dust were permitted to accumulate,
there the evil spirits hide themselves. Mother had sent
THE SHAKERS. 6l I
a message that there were evil spirits lodging about ;
and she wished them to be removed ; and also that those
members who had committed any wickedness, should
confess it, and thus make both outside and inside clean.'
"At early dawn next morning, the work commenced,
and clean work was made in every building and room,
from the grand hall down to the cow-house. At ten
o'clock eight of the brothers, with the Elders at their
head, commenced their journey of inspection through
every field, garden, house, work-shop and pig-pen, chant-
ing the following rhyme as they passed along :
' Awake from your slumbers, for the Lord of Hosts is going through
the land !
He will sweep, He will clean his Holy Sanctuary !
Search ye your lamps ! read and understand !
For the Lord of Hosts holds the lamp in his hand ! '
A REVIVAL IN HADES.
" During my whole stay with the Shakers a revival
was going on among the spirits in the invisible world.
Information of it was first received by one of the fami-
lies in Ohio, through a heavenly messenger. The news
of the revival soon spread from Ohio to the families in
New York and New England. It was caused as follows :
George Washington and most of the Revolutionary
fathers had, by some means, got converted, and were
sent out on a mission to preach the gospel to the spirits
who were wandering in darkness. Many of the wild
Indian tribes were sent by them to the different Shaker
Communities, to receive instruction in the gospel. One
of the tribes came to Watervliet and was 'taken in,' as I
have described.
" At one of the Sunday meetings, when the several
families were met for worship, one of the brothers
6l2 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
declared himself possessed of the spirit of George
Washington ; and made a speech informing us that
Napoleon and all his Generals were present at our meet-
ing, together with many of his own officers, who fought
with him in the Revolution. These, as well as many
more distinguished personages, were all Shakers in the
other world, and had been sent to give information
relative to the revival now going on. In a few minutes
each of the persons present at the meeting, fell to repre-
senting some one of the great personages alluded to.
"This revival commenced when I first went there;
and during the four months I remained, much of the
members' time was spent in such performances. It
appeared to me, that whenever any of the brethren or
sisters wanted to have some fun, they got possessed of
spirits, and would go to cutting up capers ; all of which
were tolerated even during the hours of labor, because
whatever they chose to do, was attributed to the spirits.
When they became affected they were conveyed to the
Elder's room ; and sometimes he would have six or
seven of them at once. The sisters who gave vent to
their frolicsome feelings, were of course attended to by
the Eldress. I might occupy great space if I were to
go into the details of these spiritual performances ; but
there was so much similarity in them, that I must ask
the reader to let the above suffice."
We have omitted many paragraphs of this narrative,
relating to matters generally known through Shaker
publications and others, and many personal details ; our
principal object being to give a view of some of the
Shaker manifestations which seem to have been the
first stage of Modern Spiritualism.
THE SHAKERS. 613
The reader will notice that the date of these mani-
festations— the winter of 1842 — 3 — coincides with the
focal period of the Fourier excitement (which, as we have
seen, lapsed into Swedenborgianism, as that did into
Spiritualism) ; also that, on the larger scale, the seven
years of manifestations and closed doors designated by
Evans, from 1837 to 1844, coincide with the epoch of
Transcendentalism. In the times of the Dial there was
a noticeable liking for Shakerism among the Transcen-
dentalists ; and some of their leaders have lately shown
signs of preferring Shakerism to Fourierism. We men-
tion these coincidences only as affording glimpses of
connections and mysterious affinities, that we do not
pretend to understand. Only we see that both forms
of Socialism favored by the Transcendentalists — Sha-
kerism and Fourierism — have contributed their whole
volume to swell the flood of Spiritualism.
6l4 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY.
Last of all, we must venture a sketch of the Associa-
tion in the bosom of which, this history has been written
and printed.
The Oneida Community belongs to the class of reli-
gious Socialisms, and, so far as we know, is the only
religious Community of American origin. Its founder
and most of its members are descendants of New
England Puritans, and were in early life converts and
laborers in the Revivals of the Congregational and
Presbyterian churches. As Unitarianism ripened into
Transcendentalism at Boston, and Transcendentalism
produced Brook Farm, so Orthodoxy ripened into Per-
fectionism at New Haven, and Perfectionism produced
the Oneida Community.
The story of the founder and foundations of the
Oneida Community, told in the fewest possible words,
is this :
John Humphrey Noyes was born at Brattleboro, Ver-
mont, in 1811. The great Finney Revival found him at
twenty years of age, a college graduate, studying law,
and sent him to study divinity, first at Andover and
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 6l$
afterward at New Haven. Much study of the Bible,
under the instructions of Moses Stuart, Edward Robin-
son and Nathaniel Taylor, and under the continued and
increasing influence of the Revival afflatus, soon landed
him in a new experience and new views of the way of
salvation, which took the name of Perfectionism. This
was in February, 1834. The next twelve years he spent
in studying and teaching salvation from sin ; chiefly at
Putney, the residence of his father and family. Gradu-
ally a little school of believers gathered around him.
His first permanent associates were his mother, two
sisters, and a brother. Then came the wives of himself
and his brother, and the husbands of his two sisters.
Then came George Cragin and his family from New
York, and from time to time other families and indi-
viduals from various places. They built a chapel, and
devoted much of their time to study, and much of their
means to printing. So far, however, they were not in
form or theory Socialists, but only Revivalists. In fact,
during the whole period of the Fourier excitement,
though they read the Harbinger and the Present and
watched the movement with great interest, they kept
their position as simple believers in Christianity, and
steadfastly criticised Fourierism. Nevertheless during
these same years they were gradually and almost un-
consciously evolving their own social theory, and pre-
paring for the trial of it. Though they rejected
Fourierism, they drank copiously of the spirit of the
Harbinger and of the Socialists ; and have always ac-
knowledged that they received a great impulse from
Brook Farm. Thus the Oneida Community really
issued from a conjunction between the Revivalism of
Orthodoxy and the Socialism of Unitarianism. In 1846,
6l6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
after the fire at Brook Farm, and when Fourierism was
manifestly passing away, the little church at Putney
began cautiously to experiment in Communism. In the
fall of 1847, when Brook Farm was breaking up, the
Putney Community was also breaking up, but in the
agonies, not of death, but of birth. Putney conservatism
expelled it, and a Perfectionist Community, just begun
at Oneida under the influence of the Putney school,
received it.
The story of the Community since it thus assumed its
present name and form, has been told in various Annual
Reports, Hand-books, and even in the newspapers and
Encyclopaedias, till it is in some sense public property.
In the place of repeating it here, we will endeavor to
give definite information on three points that are likely
to be most interesting to the intelligent reader ; viz :
I, the religious theory of the Community ; 2, its social
theory ; and 3, its material results.
As the early experiences of the Community were of
two kinds, religious and social, so each of these experi-
ences produced a book. The religious book, called The
Berean, was printed at Putney in 1847, and consisted
mainly of articles published in the periodicals of the
Putney school during the previous twelve years. The
socialistic book, called Bible Commimism, was published
in 1848, a few months after the settlement at Oneida,
and was the frankest possible disclosure of the theory of
entire Communism, for which the Community was then
under persecution. Both of these books have long been
out of print. Our best way to give a faithful repre-
sentation of the religious and social theories of the
Community in the shortest form, will be, to rehearse the
contents of these books.
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 617
Religious Theory.
[Table of Contents of The Berean slightly expanded.]
Chapter I. The Bible : showing that it is the
accredited organ of the Kingdom of Heaven, and justi-
fying faith in it by demonstrating, i, that Christ en-
dorsed the Old Testament ; and 2, that the writers of
the New Testament were the official representatives of
Christ, so that his credit is identified with theirs.
II. Infidelity among Reformers : tracing the history
of the recent quarrel with the Bible in this country.
III. The Moral Character of Unbelief: showing that
it is voluntary and criminal.
IV. The Harmony of Moses and Christ.
V. The Ultimate Ground of Faith : showing that
while we are at first led into believing by the teachings
of men and books, we attain final solid faith only by
direct spiritual insight.
VI. The Guide of Interpretation: showing that the
ultimate interpreter of the Bible is not the church, as
the Papists hold, or the philologists, as the Protestants
hold, but the Spirit of Truth promised in John 14: 26.
VII. Objections of Anti-Spiritualists : a criticism of
Coleridge's assertion that all pretensions to sensible
experience of the Spirit are absurd.
VIII. The Faith once Delivered to the Saints: show-
ing that Bible faith is always and everywhere faith in
supernatural facts and sensible communications from
God.
IX. The Age of Spiritualism : showing that the
world is full of symptoms of the coming of a new era
of spiritual discovery.
X. The Spiritual Nature of Man : showing that man
6l8 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
has an invisible organization that is as substantial as his
body.
XL Animal Magnetism: showing that the phenom-
ena of Mesmerism are as incredible as the Bible
miracles.
XII. The Divine Nature: showing that God is dual,
and that man, as male and female, is made in the image
of God.
XIII. Creation: an act of God's faith.
XIV. The Origin of Evil: showing that Christ's
theory was that evil comes from the Devil as good comes
from God.
XV. The Parable of the Sower: illustrating the pre-
ceding doctrine.
XVI. Parentage of Sin and Holiness : illustrating
the same doctrine.
XVII. The Cause and the Cure: showing that all
diseases of body and soul are traceable to diabolical in-
fluence ; and that all rational medication and salvation
must overcome this cause.
XVIII. The Atonement: showing that Christ, in the
sacrifice of himself, destroyed the power of the Devil.
XIX. The Cross of Christ: Continuation of the
preceding.
XX. Bread of Life: showing that the eucharist
symbolizes actual participation in that flesh and blood
of Christ " which came down from heaven."
XXI. The New Covenant: showing that a dispen-
sation of grace commenced at the manifestation of
Christ, entirely different from the preceding Jewish
dispensation.
XXII. Salvation from Sin: showing that this was the
special promise and gift of the new dispensation.
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 619
XXIII. Perfectionism: defining the term as refer-
ring to God's righteousness, and not self-righteousness.
XXIV. " He that Committeth Sin is of the Devil : "
showing that this means what it says.
XXV. Paul not Carnal: showing that he was an
actual example of salvation from sin.
XXVI. A Hint to Temperance Men : showing that
the common interpretation of the seventh chapter of
Romans, which refers the confession " When I would
do good evil is present with me," etc., to Christian
experience, exactly suits the drunkard, and is the
greatest obstacle to all reform.
XXVII. Paul's Views of Law: showing that while
he was a champion of the law as a standard of
righteousness, he had no faith in its power to secure its
own fulfillment, but believed in the grace of Christ as
the end of the law, saving men from sin, which the law
could not do.
XXVIII. Anti-Legality not Antinomianism : show-
ing that the effectual government of God rules by grace
and truth, and in displacing the law, fulfils the law.
XXIX. Two Kinds of Antinomianism : showing that
the worst kind is that which cleaves to the law of
commandments, and neglects the law of the Spirit of
life.
XXX. The Second Birth: showing that this attain-
ment includes salvation from sin, and was never experi-
enced till the manifestation 'of Christ.
XXXI. The Two-Fold Nature of the Second Birth :
showing that the "water and spirit" which are the
elements of it, are not material water and air, but truth
and grace, or intellectual and spiritual influences.
XXXII. Two Classes of Believers: showing that
620 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
there were in the Primitive Church two distinct grades
of experience : one that of the carnal behevers, called
ncpioi ; the other that of the regenerate, called teleioi.
XXXIII. The Spiritual Man : .showing that a stable
mind, a loving heart and an unquenchable desire of
progress, are the characteristics of the teleioi.
XXXIV. Spiritual Puberty: illustrating regeneration
by the change of life which takes place at natural
puberty.
XXXV. The Power of Christ's Resurrection : show-
ing that regeneration, i. e. salvation from sin, comes by
faith in the resurrection of Christ, communicating to
the believer the same power that raised Christ from the
dead.
XXXVI. An Outline of all Experience : describing
four grades, viz., i, the natural state ; 2, the legal state ;
3, the spiritual state ; 4, the glorified state.
XXXVII. The Way into the Holiest : showing that
the life given by Christ has opened new access to God.
XXXVIII. Christian Faith : showing how it differs
from Jewish faith ; and how it is to be experienced.
XXXIX. Settlement with the Past: showing the
Judaistic character of the experiences of popular m.odern
saints, and appealing from them to the standards and
examples of the Primitive Church.
XLi. The Second Coming of Christ: showing that
Christ predicted, and that the Primitive Church ex-
pected, this event to take place within one generation
from his first coming ; that all the signs of its approach
which Christ foretold, actually came to pass before the
close of the apostolic age ; consequently that simple
faith is compelled to affirm that he did come at the time
appointed, and the mistake about the matter has not
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 621
been in his predictions or the expectations of his disci-
ples, but in the imaginations of the world as to the
physical and public nature of the event.
XLI. A Criticism of Stuart's Commentary on Ro-
mans 13: II, and 2 Thessalonians 2: i — 8: showing
that the premature excitement of the Thessalonians,
instead of disproving the theory that the Second Advent
was near at that time, confirms it.
XLII. "The Man of Sin:" showing that the diaboli-
cal power designated by this title, was already at work
when the epistle to the Thessalonians was written ; that
Paul himself was withstanding it ; and that on his de-
parture it was fully manifested.
XLIII. A Criticism of Robinson's Commentary on
the 24th and 25 chapters of Matthew: showing that
the Second Coming is the theme of discourse from the
29th verse of the 24th chapter to the 31st of the 25th;
and that then the prophecy passes to the subsequent
reign of Christ and the general judgment.
XLIV. A Criticism of the Rev. Messrs. Bush and
Barnes's allegation that the Apostles were mistaken in
their expectations of the Second Coming within their
own lifetime.
XLV. Date of the Apocalypse: showing that it was
written before the destruction of Jerusalem.
XLVI. Scope of the Apocalypse: showing that it
relates to the same course of events as those predicted
in the 24th and 25th of Matthew.
XLVII. The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times:
showing that, as the Second Advent with the first resur-
rection and judgment took place at the end of the times
of the Jews, so there is to be a second resurrection and
622 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
final judgment at the end of the "times of the Gentiles,"
or in the "dispensation of the fullness of times."
XLVIII. The Millennium: showing that the period
designated by this term is past.
XLIX. The Two Witnesses. L. The First Resur-
rection.
LI. A Criticism of Bush's Theory of the Resur-
rection.
LII. The Keys of Death and Hell. LIII. Objections
Answered. The two last chapters are a continuation
of the controversy with Bush.
LIV. Criticism of Ballou's Theory of the Resurrec-
tion.
LV. Connection of Regeneration with the Resurrec-
tion : showing that regeneration or salvation from sin is
the incipient stage of the resurrection.
LVI. The Second Advent to the Soul : showing that
there was an intermediate coming of Christ in the
Holy Spirit, between his first personal coming and his
second.
LVn. The Throne of David: showing that Christ
became king of heaven and earth de jure and de facto
at the end of the Jewish dispensation.
LVni. The Birthright of Israel: showing that the
Jews are, by God's perpetual covenant, the royal nation.
LIX. The Sabbath. LX. Baptism. LXI. Marriage.
LXII. Apostolical Succession: a criticism of the Ox-
ford tracts.
LXIII. Puritan Puseyism. LXIV. Unity of the
kingdom of God. LXV. Peace Principles.
LXVI. The Primary Reform : showing that salvation
from sin is the foundation needed by all other reforms.
LXVI I. Leadings of the Spirit: showing that true
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 623
inspiration does not make a man a fanatic or a puppet.
LXVIII. The Doctrine of Disunity : aimed against
a theory that prevailed among Perfectionists, similar to
Warren's Individual Sovereignty.
LXIX. Fiery Darts Quenched : showing that the
failings and apostasies of Perfectionists are no argument
against the doctrine of salvation from sin.
LXX. The Love of Life : showing that the anxiety
about the body that is encouraged by doctors and
hygienists, is the central lust of the flesh.
LXXL Abolition of Death: to come in this world,
as the last result of Christ's victory over sin and the
Devil.
LXXII. Condensation of Life: showing that the
unity for which Christ prayed in John 17 : 21 — 23, is to
be the element of the good time coming, reconstructing
all things and abolishing Death.
LXXin. Principalities and Powers : referring all our
experience to the invisible hosts that are contending
over us.
LXXIY. Our Relations to the Primitive Church:
showing that the original organization instituted by
Christ and the apostles, is accessible to us, and that our
main business as reformers is, to open communication
with that heavenly body.
Social Theory.
[Leading propositions of Bible Communism slightly condensed.]
Chapter I. — Showing what is properly to be anticipated
co7tcerfiing the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven ajid its
institutions on earth.
Proposition i. — The Bible predicts the coming of the
Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Dan. 2 : 44. Isa. 25 : 6-9.
624 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
2. — The administration of the will of God in his king-
dom on earth, will be the same as the administration of
his will in heaven. Matt. 6 : lo. Eph. i: lo.
3. — In heaven God reigns over body, soul, and estate,
without interference from human governments. Dan.
2 : 44. I Cor. 15: 24, 25. Isa. 26: 13, 14, and 33: 22.
4. — The institutions of the Kingdom of Heaven are
of such a nature, that the general disclosure of them in
the apostolic age would have been inconsistent with the
continuance of the institutions of the world through
the times of the Gentiles. They were not, therefore,
brought out in detail on the surface of the Bible, but
were disclosed verbally by Paul and others, to the
interior part of the church, i Cor. 2:6. 2 Cor. 12:4.
John 16: 12, 13. Heb. 9: 5.
Chapter II. — Slunving tJiat Marriage is not an insti-
tjition of the Kingdom of Heaven, ajid must give place
to Conununism.
Proposition 5. — In the Kingdom of Heaven, the
institution of marriage, which assigns the exclusive
possession of one woman to one man, does not exist.
Matt. 22 : 23 — 30.
6. — In the Kingdom of Heaven the intimate union of
life and interest, which in the world is limited to pairs,
extends through the whole body of believers ; i. e. com-
plex marriage takes the place of simple. John 17: 21.
Christ prayed that all believers might be one, even as he
and the Father are one. His unity with the Father is
defined in the words, "All mine are thine, and all thine
are mine." Ver. 10. This perfect community of in-
terests, then, will be the condition of all, when his
prayer is answered. The universal unity of the mem-
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 625
bers of Christ, is described in the same terms that are
used to describe marriage unity. Compare i Cor. 12 :
12 — 27, with Gen. 2: 24. See also i Cor. 6 : 15 — 17,
and Eph. 5 : 30 — 32.
7. — The effects of the effusion of the Holy Spirit on
the day of Pentecost, present a practical commentary on
Christ's prayer for the unity of believers, and a sample
of the tendency of heavenly influences, which fully con-
firm the foregoing proposition. "All that believed were
together and had all things common ; and sold their pos-
sessions and goods, and parted them to all, as every man
had need." " The multitude of them that believed were
of one heart and of one soul ; neither said any of them
that aught of the things which he possessed was his
own ; but they had all things common." Acts 2 : 44,
45, and 4 : 32. Here is unity like that of the Father
and the Son : " All mine thine, and all thine mine."
8. — Admitting that the Community principle of the
day of Pentecost, in its actual operation at that time,
extended only to material goods, yet we affirm that
there is no intrinsic difference between property in per-
sons and property in things ; and that the same spirit
which abolished exclusiveness in regard to money, would
abolish, if circumstances allowed full scope to it, exclu-
siveness in regard to women and children. Paul ex-
pressly places property in women and property in goods
in the same category, and speaks of them together, as
ready to be abolished by the advent of the Kingdom of
Heaven. "The time," says he, "is short ; it remaineth
that they that have wives be as though they had none ;
and they that buy as though they possessed not ; for
the fashion of this world passeth away." i Cor. 7: 29-31.
9. — The abolishment of appropriation is involved in
626 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
the very nature of a true relation to Christ in the gos-
pel. This we prove thus : The possessive feeling which
expresses itself by the possessive pronoun ^nine, is the
same in essence when it relates to persons, as when it
relates to money or any other property. Amativeness
and acquisitiveness are only different channels of one
stream. They converge as we trace them to their
source. Grammar will help us to ascertain their com-
mon center ; for the possessive pronoun mine, is derived
from the personal pronoun /; and so the possessive
feeling, whether amative or acquisitive, flows from the
personal feeling, that is, it is a branch of egotism. Now
egotism is abolished by the gospel relation to Christ.
The grand mystery of the gospel is vital union with
Christ ; the merging of self in his life ; the extinguish-
ment of the pronoun / at the spiritual center. Thus
Paul says, " I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."
The grand distinction between the Christian and the
unbeliever, between heaven and the world, is, that in
one reigns the We-spirit, and in the other the I-spirit.
From / comes mine, and from the I-spirit comes exclu-
sive appropriation of money, women, etc. From we
comes ours, and from the We-spirit comes universal
community of interests.
lo. — The abolishment of exclusiveness is involved in
the love-relation required between all believers by the
express injunction of Christ and the apostles, and by
the whole tenor of the New Testament. " The new
commandment is, that we love one another," and that,
not by pairs, as in the world, but e7i masse. We are re-
quired to love one another fervently. The fashion of
the world forbids a man and woman who are otherwise
appropriated, to love one another fervently. But if
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 62/
they obey Christ they must do this ; and whoever would
allow them to do this, and yet would forbid them (on
any other ground than that of present expediency), to
express their unity, would " strain at a gnat and swallow
a camel ; " for unity of hearts is as much more important
than any external expression of it, as a camel is larger
than a gnat.
1 1. — The abolishment of social restrictions is involved
in the anti-legality of the gospel. It is incompatible
with the state of perfected freedom toward which Paul's
gospel of " grace without law" leads, that man should
be allowed and required to love in all directions, and yet
be forbidden to express love except in one direction. In
fact Paul says, with direct reference- to sexual inter-
course— " All things are lawful for me, but all things are
not expedient ; all things are lawful for me, but I will
not be brought under the power of any ;" (i Cor. 6: 12;)
thus placing the restrictions which were necessary in
the transition period on the basis, not of law, but of ex-
pediency and the demands of spiritual freedom, and
leaving it fairly to be inferred that in the final state,
when hostile surroundings and powers of bondage cease,
all restrictions also will cease.
12. — The abolishment of the marriage sytem is in-
volved in Paul's doctrine of the end of ordinances.
Marriage is one of the " ordinances of the worldly sanc-
tuary." This is proved by the fact that it has no place
in the resurrection. Paul expressly limits it to life in
the flesh. Rom. 7 : 2, 3. The assumption, therefore,
that believers are dead to the world by the death of
Christ (which authorized the abolishment of Jewish
ordinances), legitimately makes an end of marriage.
Col. 2 : 20.
628 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
13. — The law of marriage is the same in kind with
the Jewish law concernihg meats and drinks and holy
days, of which Paul said that they were "contrary to us,
and were taken out of the way, being nailed to the
cross." Col. 2 : 14. The plea in favor of the worldly
social system, that it is not arbitrary, but founded in
nature, will not bear investigation. All experience tes-
tifies (the theory of the novels to the contrary notwith-
standing), that sexual love is not naturally restricted to
pairs. Second marriages are contrary to the one-love
theory, and yet are often the happiest marriages. Men
and women find universally (however the fact may be
concealed), that their susceptibility to love is not burnt
out by one honey-moon, or satisfied by one lover. On
the contrary, the secret history of the human heart will
bear out the assertion that it is capable of loving any
number of times and any number of persons, and that
the more it loves the more it can love. This is the law
of nature, thrust out of sight and condemned by com-
mon consent, and yet secretly known to all.
.14 — The law of marriage " worketh wrath." i. It
provokes to secret adultery, actual or of the heart. 2. It
ties together unmatched natures. 3. It sunders matched
natures. 4. It gives to sexual appetite only a scanty
and monotonous allowance, and so produces the natural
vices of poverty, contraction of taste and stinginess or
jealousy. 5. It makes no provision for the sexual appe-
tite at the very time when that appetite is the strongest.
By the custom of the world, marriage, in the average of
cases, takes place at about the age of twenty-four ;
whereas puberty commences at the age of fourteen.
For ten years, therefore, and that in the very flush of
life, the sexual appetite is starved. This law of society
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 629
bears hardest on females, because they have less oppor-
tunity of choosing their time of marriage than men.
This discrepancy between the marriage system and
nature, is one of the principal sources of the peculiar
diseases of women, of prostitution, masturbation, and
licentiousness in general.
Chapter III. — Shoiving that death is to be abolished,
and that, to this end, there must be a restoration of true
relations betzveen the Sexes.
Proposition 15. — The Kingdom of Heaven is des-
tined to abolish death in this world. Rom. 8 : 19 — 25.
I. Cor. 15 : 24 — 26. Isa. 25 : 8.
16. — The abolition of death is to be the last triumph
of the Kingdom of Heaven ; and the subjection of all
other powers to Christ must go before it. i Cor. 15 :
24 — 26. Isa. 33 : 22 — 24.
17. — The restoration of true relations between the
sexes is a matter second in importance only to the
reconciliation of man to God. The distinction of male
and female is that which makes man the image of God,
i. e. the image of the Father and the Son. Gen. i : 27.
The relation of male and female was the first social re-
lation. Gen. 2: 22. It is therefore the root of all other
social relations. The derangement of this relation was
the first result of the original breach with God. Gen.
3:7; comp. 2 : 25. Adam and Eve were, at the begin-
ning, in open, fearless, spiritual fellowship, first with
God, and secondly, with each other. Their transgres-
sion produced two corresponding alienations, viz., first,
an alienation from God, indicated by their fear of meet-
ing him and their hiding themselves among the trees of
the garden ; and secondly, an alienation from each other,
630 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
indicated by their shame at their nakedness and their
hiding themselves from each other by clothing. These
were the two great manifestations of original sin — the
only manifestations presented to notice in the record of
the apostacy. The first thing then to be done, in an
attempt to redeem man and reorganize society, is to
bring about reconciliation with God ; and the second
thing is to bring about a true union of the sexes. In
other words, religion is the first subject of interest, and
sexual morality the second, in the great enterprise of
establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
18. — We may criticise the system of the Fourier-
ists, thus : The chain of evils which holds humanity in
ruin, has four links, viz., ist, a breach with God; (Gen.
3 : 8 ;) 2d, a disruption of the sexes, involving a special
curse on woman ; (Gen. 3 : 16 ;) 3d, the curse of oppres-
sive labor, bearing specially on man ; (Gen. 3 : 17 — 19;)
4th, the reign of disease and death. (Gen. 3 : 22 — 24.)
These are all inextricably complicated with each other.
The true scheme of redemption begins with reconcilia-
tion with God, proceeds first to a restoration of true
relations between the sexes, then to a reform of the in-
dustrial system, and ends with victory over death.
Fourierism has no eye to the final victory over death,
defers attention to the religious question and the sexual
question till some centuries hence, and confines itself to
the rectifying of the industrial system. In other words,
Fourierism neither begins at the beginning nor looks to
the end of the chain, but fastens its whole interest on
the third link, neglecting two that precede it, and ignor-
ing that which follows it. The sin-system, the marriage-
system, the work-system, and the death-system, are all
one, and must be abolished together. Holiness, free-
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 63 1
love, association in labor, and immortality, constitute the
chain of redemption, and must come together in their
true order.
19. — From what precedes, it is evident that any
attempt to revolutionize sexual morality before set-
tlement with God, is out of order. Holiness must go
before free love. Bible Communists are not responsible
for the proceedings of those who meddle with the sexual
question, before they have laid the foundation of true
faith and union with God.
20. — Dividing the sexual relation into two branches,
the amative and propagative, the amative or love-relation
is first in importance, as it is in the order of nature.
God made woman because "he saw it was not good for
man to be alone ;" (Gen. 2 : 18) ; i. e., for social, not pri-
marily for propagative, purposes. Eve was called Adam's
" help-meet." In the whole of the specific account of
the creation of woman, she is regarded as his companion,
and her maternal office is not brought into view. Gen.
2: 18 — 25. Amativeness was necessarily the first social
affection developed in the garden of Eden. The second
commandment of the eternal law of love, "Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself," had amativeness for its
first channel ; for Eve was at first Adam's only neighbor.
Propagation and the affections connected with it, did
not commence their operation during the period of inno-
cence. After the fall God said to the woman, " I will
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception ;" from
which it is to be inferred that in the original state, con-
ception would have been comparatively infrequent.
21. — The amative part of the sexual relation, separate
from the propagative, is eminently favorable to life. It
632 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
is not a source of life (as some would make it), but it is
the first and best distributive of life. Adam and Eve,
in their original state, derived their life from God. Gen.
2 : 7. As God is a dual being, the P'ather and the Son,
and man was made in his image, a dual life passed from
God to man. Adam was the channel specially of the
life of the Father, and Eve of the life of the Son.
Amativeness was the natural agency of the distribution
and mutual action of these two forms of life. In this
primitive position of the sexes (which is their normal
position in Christ), each reflects upon the other the
love of God ; each excites and develops the divine
action in the other.
22. — The propagative part of the sexual relation is in
its nature the expensive department. i. While ama-
tiveness keeps the capital stock of life circulating
between two, propagation introduces a third partner.
2. The propagative act is a drain on the life of man,
and when habitual, produces disease. 3. The infirmi-
ties and vital expenses of woman during the long
period of pregnancy, waste her constitution. 4. The
awful agonies of child-birth heavily tax the life of
woman. 5. The cares of the nursing period bear
heavily on woman. 6. The cares of both parents,
through the period of the childhood of their offspring,
are many and burdensome. 7. The labor of man is
greatly increased by the necessity of providing for
children. A portion of these expenses would un-
doubtedly have been curtailed, if human nature had
remained in its original integrity, and will be, when it is
restored. But it is still self-evident that the birth of
children, viewed either as a vital or a mechanical oper-
ation, is in its nature expensive ; and the fact that
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 633
multiplied conception was imposed as a curse, indicates
that it was so regarded by the Creator.
Chapter IV. — SJunviiig Jiozv the Sexual Function is to
be redeemed, and true relations betzveen the sexes restored.
Proposition 23. — The amative and propagative func-
tions are distinct from each other, and may be separated
practically. They are confounded in the world, both in
the theories of physiologists and in universal practice.
The amative function is regarded merely as a bait to the
propagative, and is merged in it. But if amativeness is,
as we have seen, the first and noblest of the social affec-
tions, and if the propagative part of the sexual relation
was originally secondary, and became paramount by the
subversion of order in the fall, we are bound to raise the
amative office of the sexual organs into a distinct and
paramount function. [Here follows a full exposition of
the doctrine of self-control or Male Continence, which
is an essential part of the Oneida theory, but may prop-
erly be omitted in this history.]
Chapter V. — S/unving that Shame, instead of being
one of the prime virtues, is a part of original Sin and
belongs to the Apostasy.
Proposition 24. — Sexual shame was the consequence
of the fall, and is factitious and irrational. Gen. 2: 25 ;
compare 3 : 7. Adam and Eve, while innocent, had no
shame ; little children have none ; other animals have
none.
Chapter VI. — Showing the bearings of the preceding
views on Socialisjn, Political Economy, Manners and
Customs, etc.
Proposition 25. — The foregoing principles concern-
634 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
ing the sexual relation, open the way for Association.
I. They furnish motives. They apply to larger partner-
ships the same attractions that draw and bind together
pairs in the worldly partnership of marriage. A Com-
munity home in which each is married to all, and where
love is honored and cultivated, will be as much more
attractive than an ordinary home, as the Community
out-numbers a pair. 2. These principles remove the
principal obstructions in the way of Association. There
is plenty of tendency to crossing love and adultery,
even in the system of isolated households. Association
increases this tendency. Amalgamation of interests,
frequ2ncy of interview, and companionship in labor,
inevitably give activity and intensity to the social at-
tractions in which amativeness is the strongest element.
The tendency to e.xtra-matrimonial love will be pro-
portioned to the condensation of interests produced by
any given form of Association ; that is, if the ordinary
principles of exclusiveness are preserved, Association
will be a worse school of temptation to unlawful love
than the world is, in proportion to its social advantages.
Love, in the exclusive form, has jealousy for its comple-
ment ; and jealousy brings on strife and division.
Association, therefore, if it retains one-love exclusive-
ness, contains the seeds of dissolution ; and those seeds
will be hastened to their harvest by the warmth of
associate life. An Association of States with custom-
house lines around each, is sure to be quarrelsome.
The further States in that situation are apart, and the
more their interests are isolated, the better. The only
way to prevent smuggling and strife in a confederation
of contiguous States, is to abolish custom-house lines
from the interior, and declare free-trade and free transit,
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 635
collecting revenues and fostering home products by one
custom-house line around the whole. This is the policy
of the heavenly system — ' that they all [not two and two]
may be one.'
26. — In vital society, strength will be increased and
the necessity of labor diminished, till work will become
sport, as it would have been in the original Eden state.
Gen. 2 : 15 ; compare 3 : 17 — 19. Here we come to the
field of the Fourierists — the third link of the chain of
evil. And here we shall doubtless ultimately avail
ourselves of many of the economical and industrial dis-
coveries of Fourier. But as the fundamental principle
of our system differs entirely from that of Fourier, (our
foundation being his superstructure, and vice versa,) and
as every system necessarily has its own complement of
external arrangements, conformed to its own genius,
we will pursue our" investigations for the present inde-
pendently, and with special reference to our peculiar
principles. — Labor is sport or drudgery according to
the proportion between strength and the work to be
done. Work that overtasks a child, is easy to a man.
The amount of work remaining the same, if man's
strength were doubled, the result would be the same as
if the amount of work were diminished one-half. To
make labor sport, therefore, we must seek, first, increase
of strength, and secondly, diminution of work : or, (as
in the former problem relating to the curse on woman),
first, enlargement of income, and secondly, diminution
of expenses. Vital society secures both of these objects.
It increases strength, by placing the individual in a vital
organization, which is in communication with the source
of life, and which distributes and circulates life with the
highest activity ; and at the same time, by its com-
6t,6 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
pound economies, it reduces the work to be done to a
minimum.
27. — In vital society labor will become attractive.
Loving companionship in labor, and especially the ming-
ling of the sexes, makes labor attractive. The present
divison of labor between the sexes separates them en-
tirely. The woman keeps house, and the man labors
abroad. Instead of this, in vital society men and women
will mingle in both of their peculiar departments of work.
It will be economically as well as spiritually profitable, to
marry them in-doors and out, by day as well as by night.
When the partition between the sexes is taken away, and
man ceases to make woman a propagative drudge, when
love takes the place of shame, and fashion follows nature
in dress ancj business, men and women will be able to
mingle in all their employments, as boys and girls mingle
in their sports ; and then labor will be attractive.
28. — We can now see our way to victory over death.
Reconciliation with God opens the way for the reconcilia-
tion of the sexes. Reconciliation of the sexes emanci-
pates woman, and opens the way for vital society. Vital
society increases strength, diminishes work, and makes
labor attractive, thus removing the antecedents of death.
First we abolish sin ; then shame ; then the curse on
woman of exhausting child-bearing ; then the curse on
man of exhausting labor ; and so we arrive regularly at
the tree of life.
Chapter VII. — A concluding Caveat, that ought to be
noted by every Reader of the foregoing Argument.
Proposition 29. — The will of God is done in heaven,
and of course will be done in his kingdom on earth, not
merely by general obedience to constitutional principles,
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 637
but by specific obedience to the administration of his
Spirit. The constitution of a nation is one thing, and
the living administration of government is another.
Ordinary theology directs attention chiefly, and almost
exclusively, to the constitutional principles of God's
government ; and the same may be said of Fourierism,
and all schemes of reform based on the development of
"natural laws." But as loyal subjects of God, we must
give and call attention to his actual administration ; i. e.,
to his will directly manifested by his Spirit and the
agents of his Spirit, viz., his officers and representatives.
We must look to God, not only for a Constitution, but
for Presidential outlook and counsel ; for a cabinet and
corps of officers ; for national aims and plans ; for direc-
tion, not only in regard to principles to be carried out,
but in regard to time and circumstance in carrying them
out. In other words, the men who are called to usher
in the Kingdom of God, will be guided, not merely by
theoretical truth, but by the Spirit of God and specific
manifestations of his will and policy, as were Abraham,
Moses, David, Jesus Christ, Paul, &c. This will be
called a fanatical principle, because it requires bona fide
communication with the heavens, and displaces the
sanctified maxim that the " age of miracles and inspira-
tion is past." But it is clearly a Bible principle ; and
we must place it on high, above all others, as the palla-
dium of conservatism in the introduction of the new
social order.
Two expressions occur in the foregoing summaries
which need some explanation ; viz., in the first, the word
Spiritualist ; and in the second, the term Free Love.
Without explanation, the modern reader might suppose
638 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
these expressions to be used in the sense commonly at-
tached to them at the present time. But if he will
consider that the articles in The Berean were first pub-
lished long before the birth of Modern Spiritualism,
and that Bible Comniiinism was published long before the
birth of Free Love among Spiritualists, he will see
that these expressions do not mean in the above docu-
ments, what they mean in popular usage, and do not in
any way connect the Oneida Community with Modern
Spiritualists, or with their system of Free Love. The
simple truth is, that the Putney school invented the
term Spiritualist to designate all believers in immediate
communication with the spiritual world, referring at the
time specially to Perfectionists and Revivalists, and
marking the distinction between them and the legal-
ists of the churches ; and they invented the term Free
Love to designate the social state of the Kingdom of
Heaven as defined in Bible Comniwiism. Afterward
these terms were appropriated and specialized by the
followers of Andrew Jackson Davis and Thomas L.
Nichols. The Oneida Communists have for many years
printed and re-printed in their various publications the
following protest, which may fitly close this account of
their religious and social theories :
FREE LOVE.
[From the Hand-Book of the Oneida Community.]
" This terrible combination of two very good ideas —
freedom and love — was first used by the writers of the
Oneida Community about twenty-one years ago, and
probably originated with them. It was however soon
taken up by a very different class of speculators scat-
tered about the country, and has come to be the name of
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 639
a form of socialism with which we have but little affinity.
Still it is sometimes applied to our Communities; and as
we are certainly responsible for starting it into circula-
tion, it seems to be our duty to tell what meaning we
attach to it, and in what sense we are willing to accept
it as a designation of our social system.
" The obvious and essential difference between mar-
riage and licentious connections may be stated thus :
" Marriage is permanent union. Licentiousness deals
in temporary flirtations.
" In marriage, Communism of property goes with
Communism of persons. In licentiousness, love is paid
for as hired labor.
" Marriage makes a man responsible for the conse-
qunces of his acts of love to a woman. In licentious-
ness, a man imposes on a woman the heavy burdens of
maternity, ruining perhaps her reputation and her
health, and then goes his way without responsibility.
" Marriage provides for the maintenance and educa-
tion of children. Licentiousness ignores children as
nuisances, and leaves them to chance.
" Now in respect to every one of these points of
difference between marriage and licentiousness, we stand
with marriage. Free Love with us does not mean free-
dom to love to-day and leave to-morrow ; nor freedom to
take a woman's person and keep our property to our-
selves ; nor freedom to freight a woman with our offspring
and send her down stream without care or help ; nor
freedom to beget children and leave them to the street
and the poor-house. Our Communities are fami/ies, as
distinctly bounded and separated from promiscuous
society as ordinary households. The tie that binds us
together is as permanent and sacred, to say the least, as
640 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
that of marriage, for it is our religion. We receive no
members (except by deception or mistake), who do not
give heart and hand to the family interest for life and
forever. Community of property extends just as far as
freedom of love. Every man's care and every dollar of
the common property is pledged for the maintenance
and protection of the women, and the education of the
children of the Community. Bastardy, in any disastrous
sense of the word, is simply impossible in such a social
state. Whoever will take the trouble to follow our track
from the beginning, will find no forsaken women or
children by the way. In this respect we claim to be in
advance of marriage and common civilization.
" We are not sure how far the class of socialists called
' Free Lovers' would claim for themselves any thing like
the above defense from the charge of reckless and cruel
freedom ; but our impression is that their position, scat-
tered as they are, without organization or definite
separation from surrounding society, makes it impossible
for them to follow and care for the consequences of their
freedom, and thus exposes them to the just charge of
licentiousness. At all events their platform is entirely
different from ours, and they must answer for themselves-
IVc' are not ' Free Lovers ' in any sense that makes love
less binding or responsible than it is in marriage."*
* We observe that the account of the Oneida Community given in the
Supplement to Chambers' Encyclopaedia, begins thus : '' Ferfectioiiisis
or Bible Comvninists ; jjopularly known as Free Lovers or preachers of
Free Love." The whole article, covering several pages, is very careless
in its gcograpliical and other details, and not altogether reliable in its
statements of the doctrines and morals of the Communists. As materials
that get into Encyclopaedias may be presumed to be crystallizing for final
history, it is to be hoped that the Messrs. Chambers will at least get this
article corrected by some intelligent American, tor future editions.
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 64I
Material Restdts.
The concrete results of Communism at Oneida, have
been made pubHc from time to time in the Circular, the
weekly paper of the Community. The "journal" col-
umns of this sheet, in which are given the ups and
downs of Community progress, with much of the gossip
of its home life, would fill several volumes. Referring
the inquisitive reader to these for details, we shall limit
our present sketch to the main outlines :
The Oneida Community has two hundred and two
members, and two affiliated societies, one of forty mem-
bers at Wallingford, Connecticut, and one of thirty-five
members at Willow Place, on a detached part of the
Oneida domain. This domain consists of six hundred
and sixty-four acres of choice land, and three excellent
water-powers. The manufacturing interest here created
is valued at over $ 200,000. The Wallingford domain
consists of two hundred and twenty-eight acres, with a
water-power, a printing-office and a silk-factory. The
three Community families (in all two hundred and sev-
enty-seven persons) are financially and socially a unit.
The main dwelling of the Community is a brick
structure consisting of a center and two wings, the
whole one hundred and eighty-seven feet in length, by
seventy in breadth. It has towers at either end and
irregular extensions reaching one hundred feet in the
rear. This is the Community Home. It contains the
chapel, library, reception-room, museum, principal draw-
ing-rooms, and many private apartments. The other
buildings of the group are the " old mansion," containing
the kitchen and dining-room, the Tontine, which is
a work-building, the fruit-house, the store, etc. The
642 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
manufacturing buildings in connection with the water-
powers are large, and mostly of brick. The organic
principle of Communism in industry and domestic life,
is seen in the common roof, the common table, and the
daily meetings of all the members.
The extent and variety of industrial operations at the
Oneida Community may be seen in part by the follow-
ing statistics from the report of last year, (1868.)
No. of steel traps manufactured during the year, 278,000.
" " packages of preserved fruits, 104,458.
Amount of raw silk manufactured, 4,664 lbs.
Iron cast at the foundry, 227,000 do.
Lumber manufactured at saw-mill, 305,000 feet.
Product of milk from the dairy, 3 1,1 43 gallons.
" " hay on the domain, 300 tons.
" " potatoes, 800 bushels.
" " strawberries, 740 do.
" " apples, r ,450 do.
" " grapes, 9,631 lbs.
Stock on the farm, 93 cattle and 25 horses. Amount
of teaming done, valued at $6,260.
In addition to these, many branches of industry neces-
sary for the convenience of the family are pursued, such
as shoemaking, tailoring, dentistry, etc. The cash busi-
ness of the Community during the year, as represented
by its receipts and disbursements, was about $575,000.
Amount paid for hired labor $34,000. Family expenses
(exclusive of domestic labor by the members, teaching,
and work in the printing office), $41,533.43.
The amount of labor performed by the Community
members during the year, was found to be approxi-
mately as follows :
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 643
Number. Amount of labor per day.
Able-bodied men ... 80 7 hours
" women . . 84 6 " 40 min.
Invalid and aged men .6 3 " 40 "
Boys 4 3 " 40 "
Invalid and aged women 9 i " 20 "
Girls 2 I " 20 "
This is exclusive of care of children, school-teaching,
printing and editing the Circular, and much head-work
in all departments.
Taking 304 days for the working year, we have, as a
product of the above figures, a total of 35,568 days'
work at ten hours each. Supposing this labor to be
paid at the rate of $1.50 per day, the aggregate sum for
the year would be $53,352.00. By comparing this with
the amount of family expenses, $41,533.43, we find, at
the given rate of wages, a surplus of profit amounting to
$ir.8i8.57, or 33 cents profit for each person per day.
This represents the saving which ordinary unskilled
labor would make by means of the mere economy of
Association. Were it possible for a skillful mechanic to
live in co-operation with others, so that his wife and
elder children could spend some time at productive
labor, and his family could secure the economies of
combined households, their wages at present rates
would be more than double the cost of living. Labor
in the Community being principally of the higher class,
is proportionately rewarded, and in fact earns much
more than $1.50 per day.
The entire financial history of the Community in brief
is the following : It commenced business at its present
location in 1848, but did not adopt the practice of taking
644 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
annual inventories till 1857. O^ the period between
these dates we can give but a general account. The
Community in the course of that period had five or six
branches with common interests, scattered in several
States. The "Property Register," kept from the begin-
ning, shows that the amount of property brought in by
the members of all the Communities, up to January i,
1857, was $ 107,706.45. The amount held at Oneida at
that date, as stated in the first regular inventory, was
only 1^41,740. The branch Communities at Putney,
Wallingford and elsewhere, at the same time had prop-
erty valued at $25,532.22. So that the total assets
of the associated Communities were $67,272.22, or
$40,434.23 less than the amount brought in by the
members. In other words between the years 1848 and
1857, the associated Communities sunk (in round num-
bers) $40,000. Various causes may be assigned for this,
such as inexperience, lack of established business, per-
secutions and extortions, the burning of the Community
store, the sinking of the sloop Rebecca Ford in the
Hudson River, the maintenance of an expensive printing
family at Brooklyn, the publication of a free paper, etc.
In the course of several years previous to 1857, the
Community abandoned the policy of working in scat-
tered detachments, and concentrated its forces at Oneida
and Wallingford. From the first of January 1857, when
its capital was $41,740, to the present time, the progress
of its money-matters is recorded in the following statis-
tics, drawn from its annual inventories :
In 1857, net
earnings,
$5-470.11
In 1862, net
earning.s.
$9,859-78
" 1858, "
"
1,763.60
" 1863, "
"
44.755-30
" 1859, "
"
10,278.38
" 1864, "
"
61,382.62
" i860, "
"
15,611.03
" 1865, "
"
12,382.81
" 1861, "
"
5,877.89
" 1866, "
"
1 3. '98. 74
ONEIDA COMMUNITY. 645
Total net earnings in ten years, $ i8o,58o.2"6 ; being a
yearly average income of $ 18,058.02, above all expenses.
The succeeding inventories show the following result :
Net earnings in 1867, ;^ 2 1,416.02.
Net earnings in 1868, $55,100.83.
being an average for the last two years of over $ 38,000
per annnm.
During the year 1869 the following steps forward
have been taken : i , an entire wing has been added to
the brick Mansion House, for the use of the children ;
2, apparatus for heating the whole by steam has been
introduced ; 3, a building has been erected for an
Academy, and systematic home-education has com-
menced ; 4, silk-weaving has been introduced at Wil-
low Place ; 5, the manufacture of silk-twist has been
established at Wallingford ; 6, the Communities at
Oneida and Wallingford have been more thoroughly con-
solidated than heretofore ; 7, this book on American
Socialisms has been prepared at Oneida and printed at
Wallinsfford.
646 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
CHAPTER XLVII.
REVIEW AND RESULTS,
Looking back now over the entire course of this history,
we discover a remarkable similarity in the symptoms
that manifested themselves in the transitory Communi-
ties, and almost entire unanimity in the witnesses who
testify as to the causes of their failure. Genek.al De-
pravity, all say, is the villain of the whole story.
In the first place Macdonald himself, after "seeing
stern reality," confesses that in his previous hopes of
Socialism he "had imagined mankind better than they
are."
Then Owen, accounting for the failure at New Har-
mony, says, "he wanted honesty, and he got dishonesty;
he wanted temperance, and instead he was continually
ti'ouMed with the intemperate; he wanted cleanliness,
and he found dirt," and so on.
The Yellow Spring Community, though composed
of "a very superior class," found in the short space of
three months, that " self-love was a spirit that would not
be exorcised. Individual happiness was the law of
nature, and it could not be obliterated ; and before a
single year had passed, this law had scattered the
members of that society which had come together so
earnestly and under such favorable circumstances, back
into the selfish world from which they came."
REVIEW AND RESULTS. 647
The trustees of the Nashoba Community, in aban-
doning Frances Wright's original plan of common
property, acknowledge their conviction that such a
system can not succeed " without the members com-
posing it are superior beings. That which produces in
the world only common-place jealousies and every-day
squabbles, is sufficient to destroy a Community."
The spokesman of the Haverstraw Community at first
attributes their failure to the " dishonesty of the mana-
gers ;" but afterward settles down into the more general
complaint that they lacked "men and women of skillful
industry, sober and honest, with a knowledge of them-
selves and a disposition to command and be com-
manded," and intimates that " the sole occupation of
the men and women they had, was parade and talk."
The historian of the Coxsackie Community says "they
had many persons engaged in talking and law-making,
who did not work at any useful employment. The con-
sequences were, that after struggling on for between one
and two years, the experiment came to an end. There
were few good men to steer things right."
Warren found that the friction that spoiled his experi-
ments was "the want of common honesty."
Ballou complained that "the timber he got together
was not suitable for building a Community. The men
and women that joined him were very enthusiastic and
commenced with great zeal ; their devotion to the
cause seemed to be sincere ; but they did not know
themselves."
At the meetings that dissolved the Northampton
Community, "some spoke of the want of that harmony
and brotherly feeling, which were indispensable to
success ; others spoke of the unwillingness to make
648 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
sacrifices on the part of some of the members ; also of
the lack of industry and the right appropriation of time."
Collins lived in a quarrel with a rival during nearly
the whole life of his Community, and finally gave up
the experiment from "a conviction that the theory of
Communism could not be carried out in practice ; that
the attempt was premature, the time had not yet arrived,
and the necessary conditions did not yet exist." His
experience led him to the conclusion that " there is float-
ing upon the surface of society, a body of restless,
disappointed, jealous, indolent spirits, disgusted with
our present social system, not because it enchains the
masses to poverty, ignorance, vice, and endless servi-
tude ; but because they can not render it subservient
to their private ends. Experience shows that this
class stands ready to mount every new movement that
promises ease, abundance, and individual freedom ;
and that when such an enterprise refuses to interpret
license for freedom, and insists that every member shall
make their strength, skill and talent, subservient to the
movement, then the cry of tyranny and oppression is
raised against those who advocate such industry and
self-denial; then the enterprise must become a scape-
goat, to bear the fickleness, indolence, selfishness, and
envy of this class."
The testimony in regard to the Sylvania Association
is, that " young men wasted the good things at the com-
mencement of the experiment ; and besides victuals,
dry-goods supplied by the Association were unequally
obtained. Idle and greedy people find their way into
such attempts, and soon show forth their character by
burdening others with too much labor, and, in times of
scarcity, supplying themselves with more than their
REVIEW AND RESULTS. 649
allowance of various necessaries, instead of taking less."
The failure of the One Mentian Community is at-
tributed to " ignorance and disagreements," and that
of the Social Reform Unity to "lack of wisdom and
general preparation."
The Leraysville Phalanx went to pieces in a grumble
about the management.
Of the Clarkson Association a writer in the Phalanx
says that they were " ignorant of Fourier's principles,
and without plan or purpose, save to fly from the ills
they had already experienced in civilization. Thus they
assembled together such elements of discord, as naturally
in a short time led to their dissolution."
The Sodus Bay Socialists quarreled about religion,
and when they broke up, some decamped in the night,
with as much of the common property as they could lay
hands on. Whereupon Macdonald sententiously re-
marks— " The fact that mankind do not like to have
their faults and failings made public, will probably
account for the difficulty in obtaining particulars of such
experiments."
The Bloomfield Association went to wreck in a quarrel
about land-titles.
Of the Jefferson County Association, Macdonald says,
"After a few months, disagreements became general.
Their means were totally inadequate ; they were too
ignorant of the principles of Association ; were too
much crowded together, and had too many idlers among
them. There was bad management on the part of the
officers, and some were suspected of dishonesty."
The Moorhouse Union appears to have been almost
wholly a gathering of worthless adventurers.
Mr. Moore, in his Post Mortem on the Marlboro
650 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Association, very delicately observes that "the failure of
the experiment may be traced to the fact that the minds
of its originators were not homogeneous."
Macdonald, after studying the Prairie Home Com-
munity, says, "From all I saw I judged that it was too
loosely put together, and that the members had not
entire confidence in each other."
The malcontent who gives an account of the Trumbull
Phalanx says : " Some came with the idea that they
could live in idleness at the expense of the purchasers
of the estate, and these ideas they practically carried
out ; while others came with good hearts for the cause.
There were one or two designing persons, who came
with rto other intent than to push themselves into situa-
tions in which they could impose upon their fellow
members ; and this, to a certain extent, they succeeded
in doing." And again : " I think most persons came
there for a mere shift. Their poverty and their quarrel-
ing about what they called religion (for there were many
notions as to which was the right way to heaven), were
great drawbacks to success."
There were rival leaders in the Ohio Phalanx, and
their respective parties quarreled about constitutions till
they got into a lawsuit which broke them up. The
member who gave the account of this Association says :
"The most important causes of failure were said to be
the deficiency of wealth, wisdom and goodness."
The Clermont Phalanx had jealousies among its
women that led to a lawsuit ; and a difficulty with one
of its leading members about land-titles.
The story of the Alphadelphia Phalanx is briefly told
thus: "The disagreement with Mr. Tubbs about a
mill-race at the commencement of the experiment,
REVIEW AND RESULTS. 6$l
threw a damper on it, from which it never recovered.
All lived in clover so long as a ton of sugar or any
other such luxury lasted. The officers made bad bar-
gains. Laborers became discouraged. In the winter
some of the influential members went away temporarily,
and thus left the real friends of the Association in the
minority ; and when they returned after two or three
months" absence, every thing was turned up-side-down.
There was a manifest lack of good management and
foresight. The old settlers accused the majority of this,
and were themselves elected officers ; but they managed
no better, and finally broke up the concern."
The Wisconsin Phalanx kept its quarrels belov/ law-
suit point, but the leading member who gives account
of it, says that the habit of the members was to " scold
and work, and work and scold ; " and that " they had
among their number a few men of leading intellect who
always doubted the success of the experiment, and
hence determined to accumulate property individually by
any and every means called fair in competitive society.
These would occasionally gain some important positions
in the society, and representing it in part at home and
abroad, caused much trouble. By some they were
accounted the principal cause of the final failure."
Mr. Daniels, a gentleman who saw the whole progress
of the Wisconsin Phalanx, says that "the cause of its
breaking up was speculation, the love of money and
the want of love for Association. Their property
becoming valuable, they sold it for the purpose of
making money out of it."
The North American was evidently shattered by
secessions, resulting partly from religious dissensions and
partly from differences about business.
652 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Brook Farm alone is reported as harmonious to
the end.
It should be observed that the foregoing disclosures
of disintegrating infirmities were generally made reluc-
tantly, and are necessarily very imperfect. Large
departments of dangerous passion are entirely ignored.
For instance, in all the memoirs of the Owen and
Fourier Associations, not a word is said on the
" Woman Question ! " Among all the disagreements and
complaints, not a hint occurs of any jealousies and quar-
rels about love matters. In fact women are rarely
mentioned ; and the terrible passions connected with dis-
tinction of sex, which the Shakers, Rappites, Oneidians,
and all the rest of the religious Communities have had
so much trouble with, and have taken so much pains to
provide for or against, are absolutely left out of sight.
Owen, it is true, named marriage as one of the trinity
of man's oppressors : and it is, generally understood that
Owen ism and Fourierism both gave considerable latitude
to affinities and divorces ; but this makes it all the more
strange that there was no trouble worth mentioning, in
any of these Communities, about crossing love-claims.
Can it be. we ask ourselves^ that Owen had such conflicts
with whiskey-tippling, but never a fight with the love-
mania .' that all through the Fourier experiments, men
and women, young men and maidens, by scores and hun-
dreds were tumbled together into unitary homes, and
sometimes into log-cabins seventeen feet by twenty-five^
and yet no sexual jostlings of any account disturbed
the domestic circle.' The only conclusion we can come
to is, that some of the most important experiences of
the transitory Communities have not been surrendered
to history.
REVIEW AND RESULTS. 653
Nevertheless the troubles that do come to the surface
show, as we have said, that human depravity is the dread
" Dweller of the Threshold," that lies in wait at every
entrance to the mysteries of Socialism.
Shall we then turn back in despair, and give it up that
Association on the large scale is impossible .-* This
seems to have been the reaction of all the leading
Fourierists. Greeley sums up the wisdom he gained
from his socialistic experience in the following invective :
"A serious obstacle to the success of any socialistic
experiment must always be confronted. I allude to the
kind of persons who are naturally attracted to it. Along
with many noble and lofty souls, whose impulses are
purely philanthropic, and who are willing to labor and
suffer reproach for any cause that promises to benefit
mankind, there throng scores of whom the world is
quite worthy — the conceited, the crotchety, the selfish,
the headstrong, the pugnacious, the unappreciated, the
played-out, the idle, and the good-for-nothing generally ;
who, finding themselves utterly out of place and at a dis-
count in the world as it is, rashly conclude that they are
exactly fitted for the world as it ought to be. These may
have failed again and again, and been protested at every
bank to which they have been presented ; yet they are
sure to jump into any new movement as if they had been
born expressly to superintend and direct it, though they
are morally certain to ruin whatever they lay their hands
on. Destitute of means, of practical ability, of prudence,
tact and common sense, they have such a wealth of as-
surance and self-confidence, that they clutch the respon-
sible positions which the capable and worthy modestly
shrink from ; so responsibilities that would tax the ablest,
654 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
are mistakenly devolved on the blindest and least fit.
Many an experiment is thus wrecked, when, engineered
by its best members, it might have succeeded."
Meeker gloomily concludes that " generally men are
not prepared ; Association is for the future."
And yet, to contradict these disheartening persuasions
and forbid our settling into despair, we have a respect-
able series of successes that can not be ignored. Mr.
Greeley recognizes them, though he hardly knows how
to dispose of them. " The fact," he says, " stares us in
the face that, while hundreds of banks and factories, and
thousands of mercantile concerns managed by shrewd,
strong men, have gone into bankruptcy and perished,
Shaker Communities, established more than sixty years
ago, upon a basis of little property and less worldly
wisdom, are living and prosperous to-day. And their
experience has been imitated by the German Com-
munities at Economy, Zoar, the Society of Ebenezer,
etc. Theory, however plausible, must respect the facts."
Let us look again at these exceptional Associations
that have not succumbed to the disorganizing power of
general depravity. Jacobi's record of their duration
and fortunes is worth recapitulating. Assuming that
they are all still in existence, their stories may be epito-
mized as follows :
Beizel's Community has lasted one hundred and fifty-
six years ; was at one time very rich ; has money at
interest yet ; some of its grand old buildings are still
standing.
The Shaker Community, as a whole, is ninety-five
years old ; consists of eighteen large societies ; many of
them very wealthy.
REVIEW AND RESULTS. 655
Rapp's Community is sixty-five years old, and very
wealthy.
The Zoar Community is fifty-three years old, and
wealthy.
The Snowberger Community is forty-nine years old
and '' well off."
The Ebenezer Community is twenty-three years old ;
and said to be the largest and richest Community in
the United States.
The Janson Community is twenty-three years old and
wealthy.
The Oneida Community (frequently quoted as be-
longing to this class) is twenty-one years old, and
prosperous.
The one feature which distinguishes these Communi-
ties from the transitory sort, is their religion ; which in
every case is of the earnest kind which comes by recog-
nized afflatus, and controls all external arrangements.
It seems then to be a fair induction from the facts
before us that earnest religion does in some way modify
human depravity so as to make continuous Association
possible, and insure to it great material success. Or if
it is doubted whether it does essentially change human
nature, it certainly improves in some way the conditions
of human nature in socialistic experiments. It is to be
noted that Mr. Greeley and other experts in socialism
claim that there z> a class of "noble and lofty souls"
who are prepared for close Association ; but their
attempts have constantly been frustrated by the throng
of crotchety and selfish interlopers that jump on to
their movements. Now it may be that the tests of
earnest religion are just what are needed to keep a dis-
crimination between the " noble and lofty souls " and the
656 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
scamps of whom the Socialists complain. On the whole
it seem^ probable that earnest religion does favorably
modify both human depravity and its conditions, pre-
paring some for Association by making them better,
and shutting off others that would defeat the attempts of
the best. Earnest men of one religious faith are more
likely to be respectful to organized authority and to one
another, than men of no religion or men of many re-
ligions held in indifference and mutual counteraction.
And this quality of respect, predisposing to peace and
subordination, however base it may be in the estimation
of "Individual Sovereigns," and however worthless it
may be in ordinary circumstances, is certainly the indis-
pensable element of success in close Association.
The logic of our facts may be summed up thus : The
non-religious party has tried Association under the lead
of Owen, and failed ; the semi-religious party has tried
it under the lead of Fourier, and failed ; the thoroughly
religious party has not yet tried it ; but sporadic experi-
ments have been made by various religious sects, and
so far as they have gone, they have indicated by their
success, that earnest religion may be relied upon to carry
Association through to the attainment of all its hopes.
The world then must wait for this final trial ; and the
hope of the triumph of Association can not rationally
be given up, till this trial has been made.
The question for the future is. Will the Revivalists go
forward into Socialism ; or will the Socialists go forward
into Revivalism .? We do not expect any further
advance, till one or the other of these things shall come
to pass ; and we do not expect overwhelming victory
and peace till both shall come to pass.
The best outlook for Socialism is in the direction of
REVIEW AND RESULTS. 65/
the local churches. These are scattered every where,
and under a powerful afflatus might easily be converted
into Communities. In that case Communism would
have the advantage of previous religion, previous ac-
quaintance, and previous rudimental organizations, all
assisting in the tremendous transition from the old world
of selfishness, to the new world of common interest.
We believe that a church that is capable of a genuine
revival, could modulate into daily meetings, criticism,
and all the self-denials of Communism, far more
easily than any gathering by general proclamation for
the sole purpose of founding a Community.
If the churches can not be put into this work, we do
not see how Socialism on a large scale is going to be
propagated. Exceptional Associations may be formed
here and there by careful selection and special good
fortune ; but how general society is to be resolved into
^Communities, without some such transformation of ex-
isting organizations, we do not pretend to foresee. Our
hope is that churches of all denominations will by and
by be quickened by the Pentecostal Spirit, and begin
to grow and change, and finally, by a process as natural
as the transformation of the chrysalis, burst forth into
Communism.
658 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS,
CHAPTER XLVIII.
DEDUCTIVE AND INDUCTIVE SOCIALISMS.
It is well for a theory to be subjected to the test of
adverse criticism. Particularly in matters of contempo-
raneous history the public are interested to hear all
sides. We have presented in this book our estimate of
the French and English schools of Socialism ; but as
the reader may deem a Communist's judgment of the
Phalansterian school necessarily defective, we are happy
to insert here a communication from Mr. Brisbane him-
self, presenting a partizan's defence of Fourier. It was
received and printed in the Cimilar, just as the last
chapters of our history of Fourierism were preparing.
"FOURIER AND THE ATTEMPTS TO REALIZE HIS THEORY.
" To the Editor of the Circular :
" Will you allow me space in your journal to say that
no practical trial, and no approach to one, has as yet been
made of Fourier's theory of Social Organization. A
trial of a theory supposes that the practical test is made
in conformity with its principles ; otherwise there is no
trial. Let generous minds who are working for the
social redemption of their race, be just to those who
have labored conscientiously for this great end. Let
them be just to Fourier, who, in silence during a long
life strove to solve the great problem of the organization
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 659
of society on a scientific basis, neglecting every thing
else — the pursuit of fortune, the avenue to which was
more than once open to him — and position and reputa-
tion in society.
*' Fourier says : There are certain Laws of Organiza-
tion in nature, which are the source of order and har-
mony in creation. These laws human reason must
discover and apply in the organization of society, if a
true social order is to be established on the earth. The
moral forces in man, called sentiments, faculties, pas-
sions, etc., are framed or fashioned, and their action
determined, in accordance with these laws. They tend
naturally to act in conformity with them, and would do
so, if not thwarted. If the Social Organization, which
is the external medium in which these forces operate, is
based on those laws, it will, it is evident, be adapted to
the forces — to the nature of man. This will secure
their true, natural and harmonious development, and
with it the solution of the fundamental problem of social
order and harmony. In organizing society on its true
basis, begin, says Fourier, with Industry, which is the
primary and material branch of the Social Organization.
By the natural organization of Industry the productive
labors of mankind will be dignified and rendered attrac-
tive; wealth will be increased ten-fold, so that abundance
will be secured to all, and with abundance, the means of
education and refinement, and of social equality and
unity. When refinement and intelligence are rendered
general, the superstructure of society will be built under
the favorable circumstances which such a work requires.
" Briefly stated, such is Fourier's view. In his works
he describes in detail the plan of Industrial Organiza-
tion. He explains the laws of organization in Nature
66o AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
(as he understands them), on which Industry is to be
based. He takes special pains to give minute directions
in relation to the subject, and warns those who may
undertake the work of organization, to avoid mistakes —
some of which he points out — that may easily be made,
and would vitiate the undertaking.
" The little Associations started in this country, of
which you have given an account, had for their object
the realization of Fourier's industrial system. Now,
instead of avoiding the mistakes which he warned his
followers against making, not one of those Associations
realized a single one of the conditions which he laid down.
Not one of them had the tenth, nor the twentieth part
of the means and resources — pecuniary and scientific —
necessary to carry out the organization he proposed. In
a word, no trial, and no approach to a trial of Fourier's
theory has been made. I do not say that his theory is
true, or would succeed, if fairly tried. I simply affirm
that no trial of it has been made ; so that it is unjust to
speak of it, as if it had been tested. With ample, that
is, vast resources, and some years to prepare the domain,
erect buildings, and make all necessary arrangements, so
as to thoroughly prepare the field of operations before
the members or operators entered, then with men of
organizing capacity to. test fairly the principles which
he has laid down, a fair trial could be made.
" I repeat, let us be just to those who have labored
patiently and conscientiously for the social elevation of
humanity. Fourier's was a great soul. To a powerful
intellect he added nobility and goodness of heart.
Clear, exact, strict and scientific in thought, he was at
the same time kind and philanthropic in feeling. Im-
pelled by noble motives, he devoted his intellect to the
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 66 1
most important of works, to the discovery of the natural
principles of social oro^anization. Such a man deserves
to be treated with profound respect. Infantile attempts
to realize his ideas should not, in their failure, be
charged upon him, covering him with the ridicule or
folly attached to them. Let him stand on his Theory.
That is his intellectual pedestal. Let those who under-
take to judge him, study his Theory. When they
overthrow that they will overthrow him.
" I will close by stating my estimate of Fourier,
which is the result of some reflection.
"Social Science is a creation of the nineteenth cen-
tury. It has been developed in a regular form in the
present century, as was Astronomy, for example, in the
sixteenth. Men have arisen almost simultaneously in
different countries, who have conceived the possibility
of such a science, and set themselves to work at it.
Fourier took the lead. He began in 1798, and pub-
lished his first work in 1806. Krause, in Germany,
began to write in 1808. St. Simon, in France, in 181 1.
Owen, in England, at a later period still. Comte, a dis-
ciple of St Simon, began in 1824, I think. Fourier and
Comte were the only minds that undertook to base
Social Science on, and to deduce it from, universal laws,
having their source in the infallible wisdom of the uni-
verse Comte, after laying a broad foundation with the
aid of all the known sciences ; after seeking to deter-
mine the theory of each special science, and to construct
a Science of the Sciences by which to guide himself,
abandons his scientific construction (reared in his first
work — "Positive Philosophy"), when he comes to elabo-
rate his plan of practical organization. He deduces his
plan of the Social Order of the future from the histori-
662 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
cal past, and especially from the Middle Age t-egime^
guided in so doing by his own personal feelings and
views. His Social system is consequently a compound
of historical deduction and personal sentiment. It is, I
think, without practical value. His scientific de-
monstration of the possibility and the necessity of
Social Science is of great value, and will secure to him
unbounded respect in the future. Fourier, at the outset
of his labors, conceived the necessity of discovering the
laws of order and harmony in the universe — Nature's
plan and theory of organization — and of deducing from
them the Science of Social Organization. Leaving
aside all secondary considerations, he set about this
great work. The discovery of the laws of order and
organization in creation was his great end. The deduc-
tion of a Social Order from them was an accessory
work. He claims to have succeeded ; and claims for his
plan of social organization no value outside of its con-
formity to Nature's laws. " I give no theory of my
own," he says in a hundred places ; " I deduce. If
I have deduced erroneously, let others establish the
true deduction."
"Social Science is a vast and complex science ; it can
not be discovered and constituted by the aid of empiri-
cal observation and reasoning : the Inductive method
can not do its work here. The laws of order and organ-
ization in nature must be discovered, and from them the
science must be deduced. In astronomy, in order to
solve its higher and more abstruse problems, it is neces-
sary to deduce from one of the great laws of Nature;
namely, that of gravitation. It is more necessary still
in the case of the involved problems of Social Science.
"Now the merit of Fourier consists in having seen
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 663
clearly this great truth ; in having sought carefully to
discover Nature's laws of organization ; and in having
deduced from them with the greatest patience and
fidelity the organization of the Social System which he
has elaborated. His organization of Industry and of
Education are master-pieces of deductive thought.
" If Fourier has failed, if he has not discovered the
laws of natural organization, or has not deduced rightly
from them, he has opened the way and pointed out the
true path ; he has shown what must be done, and fur-
nished invaluable examples of the mode in which deduc-
tion must take place in Social organization. He has
shown how the human mind is to create a Social Sci-
ence, and effect the Social Reconstruction to which this
science is to lead. If he went astray, and could not fol-
low the difficult path he indicated, he has at least clearly
described the ways and modes of proceeding. Others
can now easily follow in his footsteps.
" If we would compare the pioneers in Social Science
to those in astronomy, I would say that Fourier is the
Kepler of the new science. Possessing, like Kepler, a
vast and bold genius, he has, by far-reaching intuition
and close analytic thought, discovered some of- the funda-
mental principles of Social Science, enough to place it
on a scientific foundation, and to constitute it regularly,
as did Kepler in astronomy. Auguste Comte appears to
me to be the Tycho Brahe of Social Science : learned
and patient, but not original, not a discoverer of new
laws and principles. Other great minds will be required
to complete the science. It will have its Galileo, its
Newton, its Laplace, and even still more all-sided minds ;
for the science is far more complex and abstruse than
that of astronomy ; it is the crowning intellectual evolu-
664 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
tion, which human genius is to effect in its scientific
career. Very truly yours, A. Brisbane."
This endeavor by a leading Phalansterian to set us
right in regard to the merits of Fourier, is generous to
him, and doubtless well meant for us, but not altogether
necessary. The foregoing history bears witness that we
have not held Fourier responsible for the American
experiments made in his name, and have not treated him
with ridicule or disrespect on account of their failures.
In our comments on the Sylvania Association we said :
" It is evident enough that this was not Fourierism.
Indeed the Sylvanian who wrote the account of his
Phalanx, frankly admits for himself and doubtless for
his associates, that their doings had in them no sem-
blance of Fourierism. But then the same may be said,
without much modification, of all the experiments of the
Fourier epoch. Fourier himself, would have utterly
disowned every one of them. * * * Here then arises a
distinction between Fourierism as a theory propounded
by Fourier, and Fourierism as a practical movement ad-
ministered in this country by Brisbane. * * * The
value of Fourier's ideas is not determined, nor the hope
of good from them foreclosed, merely by the disasters
of these local experiments. And, to deal fairly all
around, it must further be said, that it is not right to
judge Brisbane by such experiments as that of the
Sylvania Association. Let it be remembered that, with
all his enthusiasm, he gave warning from time to time,
in his publications, of the deficiencies and possible
failures of these hybrid ventures ; and was cautious
enough to keep himself and his money out of them."
We then proposed a distribution of criticism as
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 665
follows : " I. Fourier, though not responsible for Bris-
bane's administration, was responsible for tantalizing the
world with a magnificent theory, without providing
the means of translating it into practice. 2. Brisbane,
though not altogether responsible for the inadequate at-
tempts of the poor Sylvan ians and the rest of the rabble
volunteers, must be blamed for spending all his energy
in drumming and recruiting ; while, to insure success,
he should have given at least half his time to drilling
the soldiers and leading them in actual battle. 3. The
rank and file as they were strictly volunteers, should
have taken better care of themselves, and not been so
ready to follow and even rush ahead of leaders, who were
thus manifestly devoting themselves to theorizing and
propagandism, without experience."
These citations show, and a full reading of the text at
page 247 and afterward, will show still more clearly,
that we have not been inconsiderate in our treatment
of the socialistic leaders.
Mr. Brisbane concludes his letter with an analysis of
Fourier's claims as a Philosopher. He does not affirm
that Fourier's theory is right, but only that he has
pointed out the right way to discover a right theory.
This, if true, is certainly a valuable service. Fourier's
way, according to Mr. Brisbane, was to work by deduc-
tion, instead of induction. He first discovered certain
fundamental laws of the universe ; how he discovered
them we are not told ; but probably by intuitive
assumption, as nothing is said of induction or proof in
connection with them ; then from these laws he de-
duced his social theory, without recurrence to observa-
tion or experiment. This, according to Brisbane and
Fourier, is the way that all future discoverers in
6^ AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
Social Science must pursue. Is this the right way.''
The leaders of modern science say that sound theories
in Astronomy and in every thing else are discovered by
induction, and that deduction follows after, to apply and
extend the principles established by induction. Let us
hear one of them :
[F'rom the Introduction to Youmans' New Chemistry.]
" The master minds of our race, by a course of toilsome
research through thousands of years, gradually estab-
lished the principles of mechanical force and motion.
Facts were raised into generalities, and these into still
higher generalizations, until at length the genius of
Newton seized the great principle of attraction, which
controls all bodies on the earth and in the heavens. He
explained the mechanism and motions of the universe
by the grandest induction of the human mind.
" The mighty principle thus established, now became
the first step of the deductive method. Leverrier, in the
solitude of his study, reasoning downward from the uni-
versal law through planetary perturbation, proclaimed
the existence, place and dimensions of a new and
hitherto unknown planet in our solar system. He then
called upon the astronomer to verify his deduction by
the telescope. The observation was immediately made,
the planet was discovered, and the immortal prediction
of science was literally fulfilled. Thus induction dis-
covers principles, while deduction applies them.
"It is not by skillful conjecture that knowledge grows,
or it would have ripened thousands of years ago. It
was not till men had learned to submit their cherished
speculations to the merciless and consuming ordeal of
verification, that the great truths of nature began to be
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 66"]
revealed. Kepler tells us that he made and rejected
nineteen hypotheses of the motion of Mars before he
established the true doctrine that it moves in an ellipse.
" The ancient philosophers, disdaining nature, retired
into the ideal world of pure meditation, and holding
that the mind is the measure of the universe, they be-
lieved they could reason out all truths from the depths of
the soul. They would not experiment : consequently they
lacked the first conditions of science, observation, ex-
periment and induction. Their mistake was perhaps
natural, but it was an error that paralyzed the world.
The first step of progress was impossible."
If Youmans points the right way, Fourier, instead of
being the Kepler of Social Science, was evidently one of
the "ancient philosophers."
We frankly avow that we are at issue with Mr.
Brisbane on the main point that he makes for his
master. We do not believe that cogitation without
experiment is the right way to a true social theory.
With us induction is first ; deduction second ; and
verification by facts or the logic of events, always and
everywhere the supreme check on both. For the sake
of this principle we have been studying and bringing to
light the lessons of American Socialisms. If Fourier
and Brisbane are on the right track, we are on the
wrong. Let science judge between us.
But Mr. Brisbane thinks that social science is excep-
tional in its nature, too " vast and complex " to get help
from observation and experiment. All science is vast
and complex, reaching out into the unfathomable ; but
social science seems to us exceptional, if at all, as the
field that lies nearest home and most open to observa-
tion and experiment. It is not like astronomy, looking
668 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
away into the inaccessible regions of the universe, but
like navigation or war, commanding us at our peril to
study it in the immediate presence of its facts.
Mr. Brisbane insists that Fourier's theory has not had
a practical trial : and we have said the same thing before
him. Yet we must now say that in another sense it has
had its trial. It was brought before the world with all
the advantages that the most brilliant school of modern
genius could give it ; and it did not win the confidence
of scientific men or of capitalists, because they saw,
what Mr. Brisbane now confesses for it, that it came
from the closet, and not from the world of facts. This
nineteenth century, which has had thrift and faith
enough to lay the Atlantic cable, would have accepted
and realized Fourierism, if it had been a genuine product
of induction. So that the reason why it never reached
the stage of practical trial was, that it failed on the pre-
vious question of its scientific legitimacy. Mr. Brisbane
himself, as a capitalist, never had confidence enough in
it to risk his fortune on it. And poor as the actual
experiments were, Jmniaii nature had a trial in them,
which convinced all rational observers, that if the num-
bers and means had been as great as Fourier required,
the failures would have been swifter and worse.
We insist that God's appointed way for man to seek
the truth in all departments, and above all in Social
Science, which is really the science of righteousness, is
to combine and alternate thinking with experiment and
practice, and constantly submit all theories, whether
obtained by scientific investigation or by intuition and
inspiration, to the consuming ordeal of practical verifi-
cation. This is the law established by all the experience
of modern science, and the law that every loyal disciple
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 669
of inspiration will affirm and submit to. And according
to this law, the Shakers and Rappites, whom Mr. Bris-
bane does not condescend to mention, are really the
pioneers of modern Socialism, whose experiments de-
serve a great deal more study than all the speculations
of the French schools. By way of offset to Mr. Bris-
bane's account of the development of sociology in the
nineteenth century, we here repeat our historical theory.
The great facts of modern Socialism are these :
From 1776, the era of our national Revolution, the Sha-
kers have been established in this country ; first at two
places in New York ; then at four places in Massachu-
setts ; at two in New Hampshire : two in Maine ; one
in Connecticut ; and finally at two in Kentucky, and two
in Ohio. In all these places prosperous religious Com-
munism has been modestly and yet loudly preaching to
the nation and to the world. New England and New
York and the Great West have had actual Phalanxes
before their eyes for nearly a century. And in all this
time what has been acted on our American stage, has
had England, France and Germany for its audience.
The example of the Shakers has demonstrated, not
merely that successful Communism is subjectively pos-
sible, but that this nation is free enough to let it grow.
Who can doubt that this demonstration was known and
watched in Germany from the beginning ; and that it
helped the successive experiments and emigrations of
the Rappites, the Zoarites and the Ebenezers.'' These
experiments, we have seen, were echoes of Shakerism,
growing fainter and fainter, as the time-distance in-
creased. Then the Shaker movement with its echoes
was sounding also in England, when Robert Owen under-
took to convert the world to Communism, and it is
6/0 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
evident enough that he was really a far-off follower of
the Rappites. France also had heard of Shakerism, be-
fore St. Simon or Fourier began to meditate and write
Socialism. These men were nearly contemporaneous
with Owen, and all three evidently obeyed a common
impulse. That impulse was the sequel and certainly in
part the effect of Shakerism. Thus it is no more than
bare justice to say, that we are indebted to the Shakers
more than to any or all other social architects of mod-
ern times. Their success has been the * specie basis '
that has upheld all the paper theories, and counteracted
the failures, of the French and English schools. It is
very doubtful whether Owenism or Fourierism would
have ever existed, or if they had, whether they would
have ever moved the practical American nation, if the
facts of Shakerism had not existed before them and
gone along with them. But to do complete justice we
must go a step further. While we say that the Rappites,
the Zoarites, the Ebenezers, the Owenites, and even the
Fourierists are all echoes of the Shakers, we must also
say that the Shakers are the far-off echoes of the Primi-
tive Christian Church.
What then has been Fourier's function ? Surely his
vast labors and their results have not been useless.
His main achievement has been destruction. He was
a merciless critic and scolder of the old civilization. His
magnificent imaginations of good things to come have
also served the purpose, in the general development of
sociology, of what rhetoricians call excitation. But his
theory of positive construction is, in our opinion, as
worthless as the theories of St. Simon and Compte.
And so many socialist thinkers have been fuddled by it,
that it is at this moment the greatest obstruction to the
TWO SCHOOLS OF SOCIALISTS. 6/1
healthy progress of Social Science. Practically it says
to the world — "The experiments of the Shakers and
other religious Communities, though successful, are
unscientific and worthless ; the experiments of the
Fourierists that failed so miserably, were illegitimate and
prove nothing ; inductions from these or any other facts
are useless ; the only thing that can be done to realize
true Association, is to put together eighteen hundred
human beings on a domain three miles square, with a
palace and outfit to match. Then you will see the equi-
librium of the passions and spontaneous order and
industry, insuring infinite success." As these conditions
are well known to be impossible, because nobody believes
in the promised equilibrium and success, the upshot of
this teaching is despair. But the nineteenth century is
not sitting at the feet of despair ; and it will clear
Fourierism out of its way.
The Inductive School of Socialism, instead of
thus shutting the gates of mercy on mankind, says to
all : The enormous economies and advantages of com-
bination, which you see in ten thousand joint-stock com-
panies around you, and in the wealth of the Shakers
and other successful Associations, and even the blessings
of magnificent and permanent homes, which you do not
see in those combinations, are prizes offered to agree-
ment. They require no special number. If two or
three of you shall agree, you can take those prizes ; for
by agreement and consequent success, two or three will
soon become many. They require no special amount of
capital. If you are. poor, by combination you can be-
come rich. Agreement can make its own fortune, and
need not wait to be endowed. The blessing of heaven
is upon it, and it can work its way from the lowest
6/2 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.
poverty to all the wealth that Fourier taught his disci-
ples to beg from capitalists.
Thus demanding equilibrium of the passions and har-
mony at the outset, instead of looking for them as the
miraculous result of getting together vast assemblages,
we throw to the winds the limitations and impossible
conditions of Fourierism. And the harmony we ask for
as condition precedent, is not chimerical, but already
exists. All the facts we have, indicate that it comes
by religion ; and the idea is evidently growing in the
public mind that religion is the only bond of agreement
sufficient for family Association. If any dislike this
condition, we say : Seek agreement in some other way,
till all doubt on this point shall be removed by abundant
experiment. The lists are open. We promise nothing
to non-religious attempts ; but we promise all things to
agreement, let it come as it may. If Paganism or infi-
delity or nothingarianism can produce the required
agreement, they will win the prize. But on the other
hand if it shall turn out in this great Olympic of the
nineteenth century, that Christianity alone has the har-
monizing power necessary to successful Association,
then Christianity will at last get its crown.
673
INDEX.
Allen, John, 179,212,291,536.
Alphadelphia Phalanx, 388.
Andrews, Stephen Pearl, 94,
212, 566.
Association, essential requi-
sites of, 57 ; its objects de-
fined, 292.
Baker, Rapp's successor, 135.
Ballou, Adin, his sketch of
Owen, 88 ; founder of Hope-
dale, 119; book on Social-
ism, 127 ; Vice President
at Boston Convention, 514;
complains of his timber, 647.
Beecher, Dr., revivalist, 103.
Beizel, Conrad, founder of the
Ephrata Community, 133.
Belding, Dr. L. C, founder of
Leraysville Phalanx, 263.
Bimeler, Joseph, founder of the
Zoar Community, 135.
Bloomfield Association, 296.
Blue Springs Community, 73.
Boyle, James, 277.
Brisbane, Albert, introduces
Fourierism, 14, 23, 161 ;
publications, 113, 200, 450,
560; edits column in Tribune^
201, 230; specimen exposi-
tion, 202 ; establishes the
monthly Phalanx^ 206 ; con-
verts Brook Farm, 209 ; lec-
tures, 269 ; represents Amer-
ican Association in Europe,
216; toasts Greeley, 226;
contrasted with Fourier 249;
relation to Ohio Phalanx,
356; letter to a Cincinnati
Convention, 366 ; selects site
of North American Phalanx
452; inspires A. J. Davis,
566; responsibility, 248, 250,
665 ; his letter on Fourier-'
ism, 665.
Brocton Community, 577; his-
tory and description of, by
Oliver Dyer, 578; members
of, 580; religious belief, 580;
Communism, 581; Internal
Respiration, 581; doctrine
of Love and Marriage, 583;
Sense of Chastity, 583; do-
mestic affairs, 585; " Will it
Succeed .-"" 586; Swedenbor-
gianism, its religion, 589;
views of Bible, 593; land-
mania, 594.
Brook Farm, suggested by Dr.
Channing, 104 ; Emerson's
reminiscences of, 104 ; its
Transcendental origin, 108;
its afflatus, 109 \ first notice
674
INDEX.
of in the Dial^ 109 ; origi-
nal constitution, 113; con-
version to Fourierism, 512 ;
new constitution, 522 ; in-
corporation as a Phalanx,
527 ; propagating Fourier-
ism, 529 ; under the lead of
W. H. Channing, 530 ;
propagating Swedenborgi-
anism, 537 ; under the lead
of John S. Dwight and
Charles A. Dana, 546 ; its
Phalanstery destroyed by
fire, 551; dissolution, 559 ;
its end virtually the end of
Fourierism, 563. •
Brooke, Dr. A., 310, 314.
Brooke, Edward, 310.
Buchanan, Dr., 84.
Bureau Co. Phalanx, 409.
Bush. Prof, 539.
Campbell, Dr. Alexander, de-
bates with Owen, 60, 86.
Channings, their connection
with Socialism, 103, 516.
Channing, Dr., suggests Brook
Farm, 104.
Channing, Wm. H., publishes
the Present^ 118; at Brook
Farm, 106; speeches, 215,
225, 533 ; address at N. A.
Phalanx, 468; letter to Cin-
cinnati Convention, 366; ex-
pounds Fourierism in Bos-
ton, 513; opinion of Fourier,
514; succeeds Brisbane 530;
leads Brook Farm in its con-
version to Fourierism, 516 ;
religion of, 228, 562; sub-
scribes to the Raritan Bay
Union, 488; extols Sweden-
borg, 544.
Chase, Warren, founder of
Wisconsin Phalanx, 411;
letters from, 414, 416, 430;
on associative success, 432.
Clarkson Phalanx, 278.
Clermont Phalanx, 366.
Columbian Phalanx, 404.
Collins, John A., founder of
the Skaneateles Community
162 ; his report of the Sodus
Bay Phalanx, 288.
Confederation of Associations,
272.
Co-operative Society, 73.
Co-operation not Socialism,
564-
Coxsackie Community, 77-
Curtis, Geo. Wm., at Brook
Farm, 106 ; writer for the
Harbinger^ 212; what he
says of Brook Farm's lack
of history, 108.
Dana, Chas. A., agent of Am.
Un. of Associationists, 535 ;
mission of, 533 ; address by,
222; on Swedenborg, 547;
on Brocton Community 586.
Davis, A. J., .his Harmonial
Brotherhood, 1 1 \ rival of
Swedenborg, 94, 539 ; in-
spired by Brisbane and
Bush, 566.
Deductive and Inductive So-
cialisms, 658.
Dial, The, history of, 105; ex-
tracts from, 109, 113,512,
513. 517-
Doherty, Hugh, writer for the
Harbinger, 212; Swedenbor-
gian Fourierite, 542.
Draper, E. D., extinguishes
Hopedale 132.
Dwight, John S., writer for the
Harbinger, 2 1 2 ; on Sweden-
borg, 546.
Ebenezer Community, 136.
INDEX.
675
Edger, Henry, 94.
Edwards, Jonathan, father of
revivals, 29.
Emerson, R. W., his reminis-
cences of Brook Farm, 104 ;
attitude toward Brook Farm,
108; lecture on Swedenborg,
543 ; prevails over W. H.
Channing, 562.
Ephrata, 133
Evans, Elder, 566.
Finney, C. C, revivalist, 25.
Flower, Richard, sells Harmo-
ny to Owen, ;^;^.
Forrestville Community, 74.
Fourier. Charles, theoretical,
185 , had before him the ex-
ample of the Shakers, 192 ;
birthday celebration, 226 ;
would disown the Phalanx-
es, 247 ; contrasted with
Brisbane, 248; coupled with
Swedenborg, 545 ; criticism
of, 249, 266, 665, 670.
Fourierism, introduced by
Brisbane and Greeley, 14,
23 ; preparation for, 102 ;
compared with Owenism,
193, 199 ; account keeping,
276 ; its dreams not con-
firmed by experience, 293 ;
based on a township, 510;
must be made alive by
Christ, 518; co-incident with
Swedenborgianism 541, 546;
gave its strength to Spirit-
ualism, 566, 613.
Franks, J. J., 92.
Franklin Community, 73.
Fuller, Margaret, 105, 106 ;
edits the Dial, 109.
Fundamentals of Socialism
193-
Garden Grove Community 409
Ginal, Rev. George, 252.
Godwin, Parke, expositor of
Fourierism, 181 ; social ar-
chitects, 181 ; address by,
217, 226; couples Fourier
and Swedenborg, 541.
Goose Pond Community, 259.
Grant, E. P., letter from, 214 ;
founder and regent of Ohio
Phalanx, 354, 356, 363.
Gray, John, at N. A. Phalanx,
478," 484.
Greeley, Horace, introduces
Fourierism, 14, 201 ; ac-
knowledges the success of
the religious Communities,
138 ; treasurer of Sylvania
Association, 208, 233 ;
toasted by Brisbane, 226;
his position, 229; pledges
his property' to the cause,
232 ; relation to Ohio Pha-
lanx, 356, 358 ; letter to
Cincinnati Convention, 366;
address at N. A. Phalanx,
468 ; offers a loan to N. A.
Phalanx, 501 ; controversy
with Raymond, 562 ; pro-
nounces the Oneida Com-
munity a trade-success, 510;
summary of his socialistic
experience, 653, 655.
Greig, John, 271 ; historian of
Clarkson Phalanx, 278.
Harmonists, 32.
Harris, T. L., leader at Moun-
tain Cove Community, 573;
Scott's estimate of, 575 ;
career, 578; Universalist,
593 ; Spiritualist, 593 ; Swe-
denborgian, 577 ; doctrine
of respiration, 590 ; leader
at Brocton Community, 577.
Haverstraw Community, 74.
e'je
INDEX.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, jilts
Brook Farm, 107.
Hempel, J. C, book on Four-
ier and Swedenborg, 545.
Hopedale, Ballou's exposition
of, 120, 127 ; causes of fail-
uce.
Individual Sovereignty, a re-
action from Owenism, 42.
Integral Phalanx, 377.
Iowa Pioneer Phalanx, 409.
Jacobi's Synopsis, 133.
James, Henry, writer for the
Harbinger^ 212; Swedenbor-
gian, 546.
Janson, Erick, founder of
Bishop Hill Colony, 137.
Jansonists, 137.
Jefferson Co. Phalanx, 299.
Johnson, Q A., 166; opposes
Collins, 168.
Joint-Stockism, 195; basis of,
197.
Kendal Community, 78.
La Grange Phalanx, 397.
Lane, Charles, on marriage,
519-
Lazarus, M. E., writes for the
Harbinger, 212; at N. A.
Phalanx, 481.
Lee, Ann, 134, 598, 599 ; com-
munications from, 603, 604,
606, 610.
Leet, H. N., his letters about
the Mountain Cove Com-
munity, 568, 569.
Leland, T. C, his letter on the
volcanic region, 268; lec-
tures, 271.
Leraysville Phalanx, 259.
Literature of Fourierism, 200.
Longley, Alcander, his perse-
verance, 91; criticises Bris-
bane, 496.
Loofbourrow, Wade, president
of Clermont Phalanx, 366,
368.
Macdonald, A. J., account of
him and his collections 1-9;
visits New Harmony, 31, 84;
Prairie Home, 317; N. A.
Phalanx, 473, 481, 485;
meets Owen, 88, 90.
Marlboro Association, 309.
McKean Co. Association, 252.
Meacham, Joseph, Shaker
Elder, 152
Meeker, N. C, his letters from
Trumbull Phalanx, 329, 337,
344; post fnortem on the
N. A. Phalanx, 499.
Metz, Christian, founder of
the Ebenezers, 136.
Miller's end of the world, 161.
Mixville Association, 299.
Modern Times, 99.
Moorhouse Union, 304.
Mormonism, origin of, 267 ;
afflatus, 152.
Mountain Cove Community,
568
Nashoba, 66.
National experience, theory of,
21.
Nettleton, revivalist, 25.
New Harmony, 30.
New Lanark, factories owned
by Owen, 60.
Nichols, Dr. T. L., inaugu-
rates Free Love, 93 ; con-
nects Owenism with Spirit-
ualism, 566.
North American Phalanx, 449;
Sears's history of first nine
years, 450 ; life at, 468 ;
Ripley's visit to, 469 ; Neid-
harts' visit, 471 ; Macdon-
ald's first visit, 473; second
INDEX.
^77
visit, 481 ; third visit, 485
Raritan Bay secession, 487
religious controversy, 489
burning of the mill, 495
end, 499 ; Meeker's post
mortem, 499 ; Hamilton's
visit to the remains, 508 ;
Northampton Association 154.
Noyes, John H., founder of
Oneida Community, 614
Ohio Phalanx, 354.
Oneida Community, 614, re-
ligious theory, 617 ; social
theory, 623; material results
641.
One Mentian Community 252.
Ontario Union, 298.
Orvis, John, 179,212, 291,536.
Owen, Robert, his American
movement, 13; extent of his
labors, 22 ; founds New
Harmony, 34 ; declaration
of mental independence, 39;
debate with Alexander
Campbell, 60; a spiritualist,
57> 565 ; founder of Yellow
Springs Community, 59 ;
trustee of Nashoba, 69 ;
father of American Social-
ism, 81, 91 ; success at New
Lanark, 81; Texas Scheme,
87 ; in Washington, 87 ;
before Albany State Con-
vention, 89 ; family, 84 ;
his scheme compared with
Fourier's, 194.
Owen, Robert Dale, succes-
sor to Robert Owen, 85 ;
compares New Lanark with
New Harmony, 48 ; trustee
of Nashoba, 69 ; edits the
Free Enquirer, 72; publishes
" Moral Physiology," 85 ;
career, 85 ; a patron of
Spiritualism, 84, 86, 565.
Peabody, Elizabeth P., essays
in the Dial, 109, 113, ; arti-
' cle on Fourierism, 512, 517.
Peace Union Settlement, 251.
Personnel of Fourierism, 211.
Phalanx, the, 102, 210; writers
for, 212; editors, 217 ; suc-
ceeds the Dial and Present,
517-
Plato, as practical as Fourier,
Prairie Home Community, 316.
Pratt, Minot, active at Brook
Farm, 515.
Pratt, John, his observations
on Owen, 50.
Present, the, 102, 209, 516.
Rapp, George, founder of
Harmony, 32.
Rappites, 32, 135.
Raymond, H. J., associated
with Greeley, 229 ; contro-
versy with Greeley, 562.
Revivalism compared with
Socialism, 26; an American
production, 28.
Ripley, George, the soul of
Brook Farm, 108; at Fou-
rier festival, 226; his de-
scription of the N. A. Pha-
lanx, 469; active in trans-
forming Brook Farm, 515;
defends Swedenborg, 549
Roe, Daniel, Swedenborgian
minister, 61; fascinated by
Owen, 62.
Sargant, Owen's biographer,
50, 58, 87.
Schetterly, H. R., founder of
Alphadelphia Phalanx, 388,
391-
Sears, Charles, 477; his histo-
ry of the N. A. Phalanx, 450.
eyd,
INDEX.
Shakers, their principles, 139,
141 ; afflatus, 151 ; socie-
ties, 152 ; close their doors,
596 ; precursors of Modern
Spiritualism, 597, 612 ; their
conditions of receiving mem-
bers, 597; sights of spiritual
things, 599 ; daily routine,
600 ; union meetings, 601
dancing, 603 ; whirling, 604
taking in Indian spirits, 604
Shaker hell, 606 ; spiritual
presents, 606 ; spiritual mu-
sic and bathing, 608; funer-
al, 609 ; purification, 610 ;
Shaker revival in Hades,
611.
Skaneateles Communit}', 161.
Smolnikar, A. B. , 251.
Snowbergers, 136
Social Architects, 181.
Social Reform Unity, 256.
Sodus Bay Phalanx, 286.
Spiritualism, derived from
Swedenborgianism, 538 ;
and from various Socialisms,
565- 567, 613.
Spring Farm Association, 407.
Stillman, E A., 275, 277, 296.
St. Simon, 182, 192.
Swedenborg, his doctrine of
internal respiration, 590.
Swedenborgianism, in the
Owen movement, 59, 61 ; in
the Fourier movement, 260,
262 ; at Brook Farm, 538 ;
the complement of Fourier-
ism, 539, 542; not favorable
to Communism, 589, 592
Sylvania Association, 233.
Time Store, 95.
Transcendentalists, 105, 118.
Tribune, New York, Fourier-
istic phase of, 229.
Trumbull Phalanx, 328.
1 ubbs, his quarrel, 394.
Utopia, 98.
Van Amringe, H. H., his letter
214; at Trumbull Phalanx,
336, 345; at Ohio Phalanx,
358, 364; works for Wiscon-
sin Phalanx, 437, 438.
Warren, Josiah, 42, 94; on
New Harmony, 49; founder
of Modern Times, 93, 97,
566; time store, 95; at Cler-
mont Phalanx, 374.
Washtenaw Phalanx, 409.
Watson, A. M., 275.
Wattles, John O., at -Prairie
Home, 316; at Clermont
Phalanx, 376.
White, John, his letter, 214.
Williams, John S., founder of
Integral Phalanx, 377.
Williams, Rev. Aaron, D. D ,
historian of Rappites, 33, 35
Wisconsin Phalanx, 411; first
fiscal statement 418; second
fiscal statement, 422; third
fiscal statement, 434; fourth
fiscal statement, 439; histo-
ry by a member 440.
Wright, Frances, helpmate of
the Owens, 66; visits Rapp-
ites and Shakers, 67; founds
Nashoba, 68; assists on
New Harmony Gazette and
Free Enquirer, .71, 72 ; lec-
tures, 72.
Yellow Springs Community 59.
Zoarites, 135.
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